Tucson, Ariz.----The defending Food Lion SAC Tournament champion Wingate University Bulldogs had four players earn preseason recognition from Collegiate Baseball Magazine. Senior outfielder Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) and redshirt junior first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) earned ABCA/Rawlings Preseason All-America honors. Senior outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) was named a Player to Watch, while freshman left-hander Jordan Newsome (Matthews, N.C.) was selected as a Newcomer to Watch.
 
McPherson piled up the awards in 2011, earning SAC and Region Player of the Year honors, while also being named the SAC Male Athlete of the Year. The first team All-SAC and All-Region selection earned first team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), while earning second team honors from Daktronics.
 
One of eight finalists for the Tino Martinez Award for Division II National Player of the Year, McPherson finished fifth in the voting. He also earned All-SAC tournament honors and NCCSIA All-State accolades. In addition, McPherson was named to the inaugural College Baseball Lineup Division II All-Star team.

McPherson led the SAC in hits (92), runs (65), homers (17), RBI (78), triples (five) and slugging percentage (.748). He finished second in the league in batting average (.400), total bases (167) and on-base percentage (.466). He ranked in the top 10 nationally in hits (third), RBI (second), total bases (fourth), homers (fifth), runs (eighth) and slugging percentage (10th). The Graham High School product led the team with 29 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI games. He reached base safely in 50 consecutive games and 55 of 56 in the 2011 season. McPherson had two hitting streaks of at least 14 games in the 2011 season. He either scored a run or drove in a run in 50 games on the year.

McPherson’s 78 RBI in 2011 ranks sixth on the league’s all-time single season charts, while his 167 total bases rank ninth. His 92 hits were just outside the top 10 in league history. Of McPherson’s 17 homers in 2011, 15 came during Wingate wins, while 67 of his 78 RBI also came during Wingate victories. Five of his homers were grand slams, which tied an NCAA record for a season. Four of his first six homers in the 2011 season were grand slams. He had seven two-run homers and three of the three-run variety, while hitting only two solo homers on the year.

McPherson has impressive career numbers as he prepares for his final season at Wingate. He has 200 hits, hitting .375 in his career with 24 homers, 148 RBI, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 135 runs and 326 total bases. He is on pace to crack the top 10 in SAC history in nearly every statistical category.
 
Yeung led the nation with 26 doubles in 2011, while also leading the league and ranking third nationally with 170 total bases. He finished second in the conference with 16 homers and 68 RBI, while hitting .358 on the year. His .691 slugging percentage also ranked second in the conference, along with his four triples.

Yeung’s 26 doubles rank third on the SAC single-season charts, while his 170 total bases are good for sixth-best in league history. He set a SAC record against West Virginia State, going seven-for-seven with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored. The hits, doubles and runs scored were all single-game league records, while also setting a record with 16 total bases.

The Wakefield High School product did most of his damage in the second half of the season. After Wingate’s 27th game, Yeung was hitting .286 with a homer and 16 RBI. Over his next 27 games, Yeung hit .437 with 15 homers, 17 doubles and 52 RBI. He had a 20-game hitting streak in the process, collecting an extra-base hit in 19 of those contests. He had a hit in 25 of Wingate’s last 27 games.

Yeung’s second half spurt started against Lenoir-Rhyne. With Wingate trailing by one with two outs and a runner on first in the ninth, Yeung blasted his second homer of the year, a walk-off, two-run shot to give the ‘Dogs the dramatic victory. He followed with a homer and four RBI in the second game that afternoon against the Bears. Yeung hit a pair of homers in Wingate’s victory at Anderson.
 
Allison had a solid junior season for the Bulldogs, with 10 homers, 23 doubles, 46 RBI and 48 runs scored. He had 61 hits on the season, compiling 110 total bases and a .516 slugging percentage on the season. Allison finished second in the SAC in doubles, fifth in total bases and ninth in homers. He also had a team-best 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts in 2011. 
 
A left-handed pitcher from Weddington High School, Newsome was named the Southern Carolina Conference Player of the Year in 2011. He was also an All-State selection for the Warriors last season.
 
The Bulldogs finished second in the SAC in 2011, posting a 17-10 conference record. Wingate won the regular season title in 2010, going 19-5 in the league. The 36 league wins in two years are the most in school history in a two-year span. McPherson and Yeung both earned All-SAC Tournament honors last year, helping the Bulldogs claim their first tournament title since 1998. The tourney title also put Wingate in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. The ‘Dogs begin their 2012 campaign Saturday, Feb. 4, hosting Concord (W.Va.) in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.
 
Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.
 
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.
 
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 42 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
 
(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)