NEW ORLEANS – University of South Alabama baseball head coach Mark Calvi was named the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Ron Maestri Coach of the Year and three Jaguars earned all-conference recognition, as announced by the league office on Monday.

Monday's announcement marks the third time (2013, '15) Calvi has been voted the league's coach of the year, and the first since 2015. This season he led the Jaguars to the best record in the SBC at 15-9 to claim the SBC East Division title, marking the program's 17th Sun Belt championship and first since 2016. 

Ethan Wilson was named first-team all-SBC, and right-handed pitchers JoJo Booker and Jeremy Lee earned second-team all-SBC honors. 

It marks the second year Wilson has been named first-team all-SBC. The Andalusia, Ala., native ended the regular season ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in on-base percentage (.424), 10th in slugging percentage and 11th in batting average (.318). In SBC games, he tied for the league lead in walks (17) and ranked fourth in OBP (.444). 

In 48 games played this season, Wilson is batting .318 with 11 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 28 RBIs, 31 runs scored, nine stolen bases, a .523 slugging percentage and .424 OBP, and has struck out just 17 times and drawn 28 walks in 176 official at-bats. He has recorded 18 multiple-hit and eight multi-RBI games this year, and hit safely in 33 of 48 contests.

In 24 conference games, he hit .322 with six doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs, 15 runs scored, six stolen bases and .444 OBP. Wilson struck out just four times and drew 17 walks in 87 official at-bats in league contests.

Booker earned all-conference recognition for the first time in his career after tying for the most wins (6) in conference games. His seven overall wins ranks tied for second in the league. Booker also ranks seventh in the SBC in opposing batting average (.217), ninth in innings pitched (74.2) and 10th in ERA (3.50), strikeouts (73) and hits allowed (56).

In conference contests, Booker ranked fourth in opposing batting average (.169), tied for sixth in hits allowed (24), ninth in ERA (2.76), tied for ninth in runs allowed (14), 10th in strikeouts (45) and tied for 10th in earned runs allowed (13). 

In 14 appearances this season, all of which have been starts, Booker is 7-0 with a 3.50 ERA, one complete game and combined for one shutout. He has struck out 73 batters and issued 35 walks in 74 2/3 innings pitched. In eight SBC starts, Booker went 6-0 with a 2.76 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 19 walks in 42 1/3 innings pitched, while limiting the opposition to a .169 batting average.

Booker has earned the win in each of his last three starts, including last Saturday at Appalachian State in which he tossed a seven-inning complete game in a 13-3 Jaguar win that clinched the SBC East Division title en route to SBC Pitcher of the Week honors. 

Lee is the first Jaguar freshman to earn all-conference recognition since Wilson in 2019, and the first Jaguar freshman pitcher to earn all-conference honors since P.J. Walters was named second-team all-SBC in 2004. 

The right-hander's season was ended following an April 30 start at Georgia Southern, but he ended the regular season as the SBC leader in fewest walks allowed (9), ranked tied for third in hits allowed (43), fourth in earned runs allowed (20), tied for fourth in runs allowed (26), ninth in ERA (3.46) and opposing batting average (.224), and 11th in strikeouts (68). 

In 11 appearances this season, nine of which were starts, Lee went 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and one save while also combining for one shutout. He struck out 68 batters and issued nine walks in 52 innings pitched while limiting opponents to a .224 batting average and posting WHIP of 1.10.

In six SBC appearances, five of which were starts, Lee went 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA and one save, and struck out 39 batters against five walks in 29 innings pitched while limiting the opposition to a .212 batting average. 

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