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Conn Named Freshman of the Year as Flames Rake in Postseason Honors

Nine Flames recognized as the Horizon League announced its postseason winners

5/25/2021 1:14:00 PM

CHICAGO – Freshman Cole Conn was recognized as the Horizon League Freshman of the Year, as the conference office handed out its postseason awards Tuesday (May 25) afternoon. Conn was one of nine Flames to receive postseason recognition in a vote conducted by the League's coaches.
 
Conn becomes the first UIC player to earn Freshman of the Year honors, which began being awarded in 2014. Previously, the conference awarded a Newcomer of the Year award, with eighth Flames collecting the yearly accolade between 1992 and 2013 (most recently: Matt Serna – 2010).
 
The native of St. Charles, Illinois is tied for the team lead with eight home runs on the season, while his .566 slugging percentage is second-best on the squad. Conn, who has appeared in 39 of UIC's 45 games to date, as made 38 starts with 24 behind the plate and 14 in the designated hitter position. The freshman is batting .316 on the year with eight doubles, a triple and 30 runs driven in to go along with his eight home runs. Behind the plate, Conn has picked off nine base runners, third most in the conference.
   
Four Flames, Matt Bottcher, Jacob Key, Bryan Rosario and Thomas Smart, were named to the All-League First Team. For Key, it is his second consecutive year earning First Team honors after earning Second Team accolades in 2018 while Bottcher, Rosario and Smart all earn All-League recognition for the first time in their careers.
 
Key has a team-leading 2.61 ERA among starters, posting a 6-3 record this year with a team-best five complete game performances. Key ranks first in the conference among starters in opposing batting average (.197), second in ERA, tied for fifth in wins and second in complete games. The graduate student fell one out shy of throwing the 11th no-hitter in UIC history back on April 16, throwing 8.2 no-hit innings against Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Bottcher collects his first All-League honor after leading the team in slugging percentage (.616) and triples (5), matching the team lead in doubles (12) and ranking third on the team in batting average (.351) and on base percentage (.438). Bottcher's six home runs are tied for the third most on the team while his 35 RBS rank third on the squad. The infielder, who has split time at shortstop and second base, is tied for the team lead with 20 multi-hit games and ranks second on the squad with 11 multi-RBI games.
 
Rosario enters the conference tournament leading the team in batting average (.396), the 23rd-best batting average in the country, while ranking second in on base percentage (.460). The outfielder has excelled on the base paths, successfully stealing 11 bases this year on 13 attempts. The native of Hayward, California has reached base in the last 25 games, the longest streak this year for the team, and had a team-best 16-game hitting streak earlier this year.
 
Smart has done a little bit of everything for the Flames this year, ranking first in on base percentage (.514), second in batting average (.388) and tied for third in slugging percentage (.525). The outfielder's on-base percentage is the second highest in the Horizon League and 13th-best in all of Division I baseball. Smart ranks third in the conference in hits (62) while his 34 walks are fifth-most in the conference. The only player on the team to appear in all 45 games this season, Smart has played stellar defense in right field, owning a .988 fielding percentage with just one error on the year.
 
In addition to being named the Freshman of the Year, Conn was one-of-three Flames to be named to the All-League Second Team. Joining Conn on the list was Joshua Figueroa and Fred Gosbeth, with the Flames' seven selections on the First and Second Team ranking as the second-most among all Horizon League schools.
 
Figueroa collects his second consecutive Second Team honor after pacing the Flames with a team-leading 44 RBIs on the season. Splitting time between catcher and designated hitter, Figueroa ranked fourth on the team in batting average (.333) and fifth in slugging percentage, as his 12 doubles tied the team high while his six home runs were tied for third most on the team. In Horizon League games, Figueroa has driven in 42 runners, tied for the third best mark in the conference this season.
 
Gosbeth earns All-Leage recognition for the first time in his career after emerging as the Flames' go-to arm in the bullpen. The righty has a team-leading 2.05 ERA and has gone a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities to lead the team and rank third in the Horizon League. All six of Gosbeth's saves have come in Horizon League action, the most saves in conference play in the league. The reliever had a streak of six consecutive appearances without allowing a run earlier this year and had not allowed a run over a span of 11.2 innings between April 9 and May 21.
 
Conn was also one-of-two Flames named to the Horizon League's All-Freshman Team, with teammate Ryan Nagelbach joining Conn on the list. The infielder has appeared in 38 of UIC's 45 games this year, ranking tied for third on the team with six home runs to go along with six doubles, a triple and 23 RBIs. Nagelbach has been a key contributor in the field as well, helping turn 18 double plays for a UIC defense that ranks 11th in the country in double plays turned per game.
 
UIC earned the No. 2 seed in this week's Horizon League Championship and will begin its tournament run on Thursday, May 27 against third-seeded Youngstown State. First pitch in Dayton, Ohio is scheduled for approximately 2 p.m. (CT).
 
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