Jones earns his fourth all-conference honor     

NORFOLK, Va., May 14, 2008 – A year ago, Tim Johnson and Marquis Frink came to the North Carolina A&T baseball team as transfers and both men had trouble holding leads. Johnson had trouble as a starter and Frink as a reliever for Johnson. It resulted in both men having earned run averages over six.

With Keith Shumate needing them to pitch more innings and thus hold on to leads this season, Frink and Johnson responded by putting together tremendous seasons. The two men are two of the best strikeout pitchers in the country. On Wednesday their excellent seasons led to them being named first-team All-MEAC selections.

Frink and Johnson joined some of the old guard all-conference selections from N.C. A&T.  Seniors Jeremy Jones and Joe McIntyre along with sophomore C.J. Beatty were also named first-team All-MEAC.
Jeremy Jones

Jones, a designated hitter this season, earned his fourth all-conference selection. He was named first-team all-conference for the second time in his career. McIntyre, who played right field most of the season, earned his third career all-conference honor and his second first-team all-conference mention.

Beatty, the Aggies center fielder, earned his second straight first-team all-conference selection. A year ago, Beatty was the MEAC Rookie of the Year.                          Tim Johnson

“We pretty much knew what Joe, C.J., and Jeremy were going to bring to the table before the season started,’’ said Shumate. “They’re consistency is amazing. But to see guys like Tim and Marquis step up and give us what they gave us this season was a real boost for us. When we put them out there on the mound, they were strong, gave us quality innings and made quality pitches.”

Johnson transferred to N.C. A&T from UNC-Asheville last season. After a year where he had to become comfortable against MEAC hitters, Johnson returned this season as a strong No. 1 starter for the Aggies. Johnson was 9-2 this season and with his next win he will become the Aggies first-ever 10-game winner. He ranks 12^th in the nation in strikeouts with 98 and he is ninth in the country in victories. He leads the conference in wins, strikeouts, starts (13) and innings pitched (96.1).
Marquis Frink

Frink transferred from Louisburg Junior College. Frink had a 6.57 ERA and pitched just 37.1 innings in 2007. This season, he was the pitcher Shumate turned to often. He made a league-high 28 appearances with seven starts. He was 5-3 on the season with a team-best 2.84 ERA. He was second in the MEAC in saves with five. He pitched 79.1 innings and opponents hit just .214 against him. Frink ranked 15^th in the nation in strikeouts.

Jones’ story has been well-documented. He was the MEAC Player of the Year in 2005 and earned several All-American honors. He was a national player of the year candidate prior to the 2006 season, but injured his wrist prior to the season and missed all but one game that season. He was still drafted in the 2006 major league baseball draft, but decided to return to school. In 2007, he did not have the kind of season he had in 2005. He still batted .323 with seven homers and 45 RBIs, but was not drafted. This season he returned without the pressure and had another stellar season in which he is hitting .400 with a career-high 13 home runs and 63 RBIs.  Jones is 27^th in the nation in RBIs and he close to leading the MEAC in runs scored (61) for the second consecutive season.                                                              Joe McIntyre

McIntyre is the best doubles hitter in N.C. A&T history. He has ranked among the top 50 doubles hitters in the nation the last three seasons. This season, he is 8^th in the nation in doubles. He has 76 career doubles, which is the most in school history.

C.J. Beatty

He is also one of the best clutch hitters to ever play at N.C. A&T. This season he leads the MEAC in two-out RBIs and if he continues he will lead the conference for three straight seasons in that category. He has 185 career RBIs and he is five hits shy of 300 for his career. 

Beatty continues to showcase his tremendous power. He has 23 career home runs and his second season isn’t complete yet. He has a chance to lead the MEAC in home runs for the second straight season. This season he has 13 home runs and 55 RBIs with a .346 batting average. He is a .319 career hitter and has 93 career RBIs.

The Aggies begin play in the MEAC Tournament 2 p.m., Thursday at Marty L. Miller Stadium on the campus of Norfolk State when they play Norfolk State.