Baseball Release - World Series MVP - Guilford College

• FRANKLIN NAMED SERIES MVP

Greensboro, NC (10/24/02) - In a clear oversight on the part of the commissioner's office, no MVP was named for the 2002 Guilford College World Series.  One of the most prestigious awards allocated by this office, the MVP has long been a revered honor, with many of its awardees going on to greatness in a variety of post-award endeavors.

    In 1998, junior Chad Coward shared the first of his two MVP awards with sophomore Eric Pelletier.  Coward went on to win the award again in 1999, sharing it this time with senior Kevin Moore.  The commissioner's office declined requests to have the award renamed the Coward Award for obvious reasons.  Coward spent this past summer in AA ball with the Tampa Devil Rays, while Moore and Pelletier both live on the west coast and have become multi-millionaires in international investment banking, or maybe that was somebody else.

    Nick Black won the award in 2000, highlighting his season as he missed the spring with a broken wrist.  He failed to repeat in 2001 falling victim to the Keeb factor which states that Zach Morgan will never win an Intrasquad World Series.  In 2001, junior second baseman/pitcher Brad Franklin won a game on the mound and hit .455 for the series in earning the MVP award.  He rode that wave to a first team all-region season in the spring of 2002.

    Which brings us to this year's winner.  With a Game-four shutout on the mound and a 7-for-11 series at the plate, senior Brad Franklin has become the second repeat winner of the GCWS MVP Award.  Franklin went two for three in the opener with a double, homer and two runs batted in.  He followed that with a three-for-three effort that included a walk, run and RBI in the second game.  Game three saw him arrive late after class, but he still banged out one of only two Team Black hits with a single in two at bats.  In game four, Franklin took over on the mound and tossed a six-hit shutout.  He also contributed with the bat, driving in the game's first run with a first-inning double and walking and scoring in the 12-run seventh.

    For his efforts, Franklin will receive an all-expense paid vacation to Savannah, GA, for two days and 1 night at the Master Suite - Garden City on February 8 and 9 of next year.  He will also receive numerous meals at Wendy's, official post-game meal provider to Guilford College Baseball.  Franklin earns the right to take part in the spring 2003 Guilford Baseball 'Most Likely to ....' Awards on the bus ride home from Martinsville, VA, next April 30.  Never let it be said we don't take care of our winners.

    Congratulations Brad.  In the event Brad is unable to fulfill his obligations as MVP, he will be replaced by Casey Henritz, erstwhile trainer of the Guilford baseball squad, for her efforts in piecing Mike Balash, Dave Wall, and Rick Parks back together so they may finally experience their freshman year.

- Gene Baker