Prospect Danville Dans

Dans Receive Post-Season Awards

Published on August 19, 2013 under Prospect League (Prospect)
Danville Dans News Release


DANVILLE, IL - The Prospect League has announced their post-season awards, with Danville Dans starter Troy Conyers being named the Roland Hemond Prospect of the Year. The league also honored Dans manager Jason Watson with the Manager of the Year Award after this record-setting season by the team.

Conyers, a LHP sophomore-to-be from University of San Diego, went 5-1 on the year with a 1.53 ERA. He struck out 60 - second in the league - while walking just 18. Conyers started eight games this summer, allowing no runs in six of his starts.

Conyers got the start for the West Division in the league's mid-season All-Star game. He pitched one inning, allowing two earned runs.

When not pitching, Conyers was in the Dans lineup as DH or first baseman in 18 other games, hitting .231.

"The Danville Dans have 22 alumni who went on to the major leagues. It would be a pleasure to add Troy Conyers to that list some day," said managing partner Jeanie Cooke.

For his part, manager Jason Watson guided the 2013 Dans to a Prospect League record 41 regular-season wins. During the year, they also had a record-setting 11-game winning streak. The Dans won the West Division by 6.5 games over Quincy before falling to the Gems in the playoffs.

This summer's Dans team was ranked as high as 11 in Perfect Game USA's weekly rankings of summer collegiate league teams.

"This was an exciting season for the Dans," Cooke said. "Jason has guided this team of great guys to accomplish many achievements this summer."

Watson, in his first season with the Dans, has been the head coach at Dickinson State University for two years. He was also the head coach at Franklin College, and managed a summer collegiate league team in Colorado in 2012. He was an assistant at Wisconsin-Platteville, and played there when Dans Director of Baseball Operations Jamie Sailors was the head coach.

Missing from the post-season selection was Dans left-hander reliever Jared Burton, a senior-to-be from East Tennessee State. Burton appeared in 24 games, with 42.1 innings. He had a .43 ERA with 36 strikeouts. During the season, Burton went 34.2 innings without allowing an earned run, and only allowed five unearned runs during that same streak.

Another Dan that had an outstanding season was University of North Florida's Spencer Herrmann, who showed toughness both on the mound and at the plate. Herrmann hit .323 in 38 games. He scored 18 runs, along with 13 RBIs. He walked 21 times while striking out 29. His pitching stats included a 2-2 record with a 1.68 ERA in eight starts.

Chet Simoneaux, an upcoming senior from University of Louisiana at Monroe, led the Dans with 34 RBIs - 4th best in the Prospect League. He hit .243 and also led the team in extra base hits, with 4 homers, 1 triple and 10 doubles.

The Danville Dans are a member of the Prospect League, one of the premier college summer leagues in the nation. Baseball players from California, Florida, and all across the South and the Midwest come to Danville every summer to improve their pitching, fielding and hitting skills in this wooden bat league. With this dedication, it is no wonder that some players advance to the major leagues after graduation, including 22 former Dan players.

You can keep up with the Dans on their website at www.DanvilleDans.com.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Prospect League Stories from August 19, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central