Sept. 3, 2008

Former Marshall University baseball standout Brendan Murphy earned the Jason Simontacchi Rookie of the Year award, as announced by the Frontier League, Tuesday.

The honor is given annually to the most outstanding player with no previous professional experience. Murphy, a member of the Kalamazoo Kings, is hitting .335, with 16 home runs and 77 RBIs.

Murphy played two years of baseball at Marshall University where he majored in Sport Management & Marketing.

During his two years, Murphy registered a .285 overall batting average that included a .315 clip in 2007. Murphy also blasted 15 home runs and 70 RBIs during the 2006 season, and owns the second spot on Marshall's single-season RBI list and is third on the single-season doubles list with 19 (achieved in 2006). Murphy also ranks in the top 10 on the Thundering Herd's all-time home-run list with 25.

Murphy started in all 105 games he played in during his time at Marshall. He led the Herd in slugging percentage in 2006 (.640) and was second on the team in the category with a .486 clip in 2007.