NCBWA Tabs Spartan as Region Hitter of the Year

AURORA, Ill. May 25, 2005 - Aurora University senior outfielder Jay Lavender (Oswego, Ill./Oswego HS) has been named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division III Central Region "Hitter of the Year."

Lavender, the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC) Player of the Year, First-Team All-NIIC pick, and AU Male Athlete of the Year, batted .424 with 52 runs scored, 18 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 62 runs batted in, a .733 slugging percentage, a .490 on-base percentage, and 10 stolen bases. He led the Spartans to back-to-back NIIC tournament championships and their first NIIC regular-season title since the 2002 season. While leading the Spartans to a 34-9 overall record and AU’s 16th NCAA regional appearance in school history, Lavender either led or finished second in all offensive categories.

AU’s baseball team finished with a 34-9 overall record and 14-4 in the NIIC, while capturing the regular-season conference championship and their second consecutive Conference Tournament Championship, which carried the NIIC automatic bid into the 2005 NCAA Division III baseball championships. The NCAA appearance was AU’s 16th in school history (since 1987) and the NIIC title was the 19th in the last 22 seasons.

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