ABCA All-America Teams

RINDGE, N.H. (June 3, 2016) – The East Region champion Franklin Pierce University baseball team has had three players earn All-America accolades from the American Baseball Coaches Association, as announced on Monday by the ABCA. Junior third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.), senior right-hander Paul Covelle (Medford, Mass.) and senior right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) all landed on the ABCA All-America Second Team.

It is the second career All-America nod from the ABCA for Jabs, who is now a consensus All-America selection, after earning Second Team honors from both the Conference Commissioners Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association earlier this spring. Bird adds an All-America nod from the ABCA to go with Second Team accolades from the CCA, while Covelle earns his first career All-America honor.

Somehow, Jabs managed to improve on last year's already gaudy numbers in 2016, as he posted a .352/.466/.638 slash line over 57 games and 213 at-bats (75-for-213). Through the East Regional, he was tied for 16th in the country in runs batted in (69), ranks 26th in runs batted in per game (1.25), is tied for 27th in walks (41), is tied for 45th in home runs (14) and is tied for 48th in total bases (135). Within the Northeast-10, Jabs ranks first in home runs and runs batted in; second in slugging percentage and walks; third in on-base percentage; tied for fourth in runs scored (61); tied for fifth in hits; seventh in batting average; tied for 11th in doubles (13); tied for 13th in triples (3); and tied for 17th in stolen bases (16).

Pitching from the top of the rotation all spring, Covelle logged 96.1 innings over 15 starts and struck out 93 (8.69 per nine innings), on his way to a 1.96 ERA and a 10-2 record with four complete games. Covelle allowed 27 runs (21 earned) on 62 hits and walked 15. Through the East Regional, he ranked third in the country in WHIP (0.75), sixth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.34), 14th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.20), tied for 14th in wins, 15th in ERA and 31st in walks allowed per nine innings (1.43). Within the NE-10, Covelle is ranked first in innings pitched, tied for second in wins and complete games, ranked third in ERA and strikeouts and ranked 11th in strikeouts per nine innings.

Bird, who had just 12.1 collegiate innings to his name entering the season, exploded onto the scene from the Ravens bullpen as a senior and was also a consensus All-East Region pick before collecting his pair of All-America accolades. He made 23 appearances on the mound this spring, including one start, and logged 64 innings while recording 71 strikeouts (9.98 per nine innings), on his way to a 1.55 ERA, an 8-1 record and three saves. Through the East Regional, bird ranked fourth in the country in WHIP (0.83), fifth in ERA, ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.59) and 22nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50). He allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 41 hits and has walked 13 against the 71 strikeouts. Within the Northeast-10, Bird ranks first in ERA, is tied for fifth in wins, ranks sixth in strikeouts per nine innings and ranks 12th in strikeouts.

The Ravens (48-9) captured the seventh NCAA Regional title in program history on May 23, with a 6-3 win over Southern New Hampshire. The Ravens also claimed their fifth straight Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division title during the 2016 campaign. Over 109 games since the start of the 2015 season, Franklin Pierce owns a 96-13 record (.881), which is the best winning percentage in the nation in that timeframe.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).