Tusculum’s Gabel, Talarek Earn Baseball Preseason All-America Honors

TUSCON, Ariz. --- Tusculum College's Brent Gabel and Skip Talarek have been named to the 2006 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Division II All-America Team announced College officials Monday.

Gabel, a 6-2, 175-pound senior pitcher from Conneautville, Pa. posted an impressive 10-1 record last season at Tusculum. Gabel was named to the 2005 All-America Third Team by the National Baseball Writers Association of America (NCBWA). He was also named the South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year and also garnered All-Conference First Team accolades. Gabel was tabbed to the 2005 All-South Region First Team for both the NCBWA and the American Baseball Coaches' Association.

Gabel led the Pioneers with a 3.12 earned run average while striking out a team-best 80 batters. He went 7-0 in his eight league starts and tossed a four-hit shutout in his Tusculum debut against No. 29 Barry.

Talarek, a Great Falls, Va. senior third baseman, is a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection. Talarek was named to the NCBWA All-South Region squad and led the Pioneers in hitting .410 last year, while also establishing school single-season records with 68 runs scored, 68 runs batted in and drew 47 walks. His .531 on-base percentage was also the best in school history. Talarek hit .308 at NCAA Division II South Regional where he was named to the All-Tournament squad.

Tusculum enjoyed its best season in school history posting a 44-17 record and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. The Pioneers won the South Atlantic Conference Championship for the first time in school history and became the first team ever to win six consecutive games out of the elimination bracket to claim the SAC Tournament crown.

The Pioneers will open the 2006 campaign on Feb. 3 as they play at nationally-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Tusculum College, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of eight colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.