Sandifer named to College Baseball Lineup All-Star Team

Francis Marion University sophomore right-handed pitcher Don Sandifer has been named to the inaugural College Baseball Lineup Division II All-Star Team.

The squad consists of thirty-six players from across the nation, including at least one player from each conference.

Sandifer, a native of Bamberg, was 11-3 with a 2.33 earned run average.  He led the Peach Belt Conference in wins, strikeouts (105), and opponents’ batting average against at .193.  In 108 innings pitched, he allowed only 75 hits and walked just 16, ranking him 31st nationally in fewest bases-on-balls issued per nine innings.  He recorded six complete games, including a school-record three shutouts.

Sandifer took a no-hitter into the fifth inning in five of his 14 starts, including a Feb. 19 nine-inning no-hitter against Winston-Salem State University.  In that contest, the 10th no-hitter in school history, Sandifer struck out 14 batters as the Patriots prevailed 13-0 against a team that would eventually advance to the NCAA Tournament.

As the team’s No. 1 starter, he helped lead Francis Marion to a 41-16 record, a national Top-10 ranking, the PBC regular-season championship, and a third straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament.    In the recent NCAA regional, Sandifer allowed only 12 hits and four earned runs in 15 innings of work while picking up a win and a no-decision and being named to the All-Tournament Team.

He was named the Peach Belt’s Pitcher of the Year for 2011 and was also named to several All-Region teams.

The team’s 41 victories equals the most in program history, and the Patriots advanced to the regional title game for the second consecutive year.