BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It can be said that Ben Holland was the player that helped put Lee baseball on the map in the NCAA and Gulf South Conference. On Tuesday Holland received GSC All-Decade Honorable Mention recognition for his breakout season in 2016.
The Flames achieved an incredible run of success in the NAIA from 1996-2013 but it was Holland who made the most of his one and only year of official NCAA postseason eligibility for the Flames in 2016 as he earned GSC Player of the Year honors after hitting .424 with 23 doubles, 18 home runs and 54 runs batted in.
Holland strung off a season-best 22-game hitting streak (3/6-4/16) this season in which he racked up eight multi-hit performances, including, 14 RBI, 11 doubles and three home runs over that span. He helped guide the Flames to their first-ever GSC Baseball Tournament appearance and to a league-leading 60 team home runs.
He ranked fifth in all of NCAA Division II with a .859 slugging percentage and 10th with a .533 on-base percentage. He also topped the GSC in home runs and total bases (175), was second in batting average and doubles, third in RBI and total walks (38) and fourth in total hits (75).
Holland was recognized as the program's first NCAA All-American and was also named a finalist for the D2 Baseball News 2016 Tino Martinez Award. The annual honor is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, Olympian and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez.
"Ben arguably is the most feared hitter to wear a Lee uniform. He was also a tremendous hitter in clutch situations. To be honored with the best of the last decade in such a great baseball conference is an awesome accomplishment for Ben. We are excited for him gaining this accolade," said Lee baseball coach Mark Brew.
The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native was an impact player off the field as well earning him Lee's very first GSC Top 10 recognition. The top 10 award goes to five male and five female student athletes who have excelled on the field in the classroom and in the community.
Holland posted a 3.6 GPA as a Business Administration major with an emphasis on finance. He served as an on-campus volunteer for the baseball program's annual Military Appreciation Day and also helped move students in as part of the school's 'Helping Hands' Program. His off-campus contributions include volunteering abroad with Dominican Republic orphanages and youth camps, the 'Feed-A-Village' Program in Haiti and Matthew 25 Ministries.
Delta State's Zack Shannon earned Player of the Decade honors while his skipper, Mike Kinnison was named the league's Coach of the Decade. North Alabama's Tyler Joyner garnered the top pitcher of the decade spot.
