DALLAS - Dallas Baptist senior Duncan McAlpine, capped off his four year career with the Patriots earning the 21st annual 2013 Howard Green Metroplex Collegiate Player of the Year Award presented by the DFW Hall-Ruggles Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research. It marks the third time in as many years in which a member of the DBU baseball team has earned the prestigious award. McAlpine follows former teammates Boomer Collins, who won the award in 2012, and Jason Krizan in 2011.
In the second year of Division I and collegiate level awards from the SABR Hall-Ruggles Chapter, the award honors the memory of chapter founder and original president Howard Green, who was a legend in Texas professional and collegiate baseball circles for over six decades and also served in several elected capacities in Tarrant County.
In his senior season with the Patriots, McAlpine set a school record with 49 career home runs. The 5-10, 216-pound senior from North Richland Hills also earned Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week honors twice during the season, including hitting for the cycle on February 23rd. By season's end, McAlpine led the WAC with 17 homeruns and ranked among the top five in the conference in nearly every batting category. In 58 games, he hit .333, with 72 hits, 18 doubles, 35 walks, and led the club with a .662 slugging percentage and .437 on base percentage. In the field, McAlpine compiled a .966 fielding percentage as he saw action at multiple positions including third base, catcher, first base, and left field.
Following the 2012 season, McAlpine was named first team All-Western Athletic Conference, first team ABCA/Rawlings All-America and All-Region 6. In June, he was selected in the 17th round by the Detroit Tigers.
In addition to his honors on the field, McAlpine was also recently named first team Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District with a 3.80 grade point average (4.0 scale) in Kinesiology.
McAlpine becomes the 10th player in Dallas Baptist baseball history to win the SABR Metroplex College Baseball Player of the Year and since the inception of the award in 1993, no other school has more winners than DBU. McAlpine etches his name alongside previous Patriot recipients: Jason Parsons, 1994; Karl Chatman, 1996; Brandon Harper, 1997; Cody Sundbeck, 1999; Jon Browder, 2000; Drew Holder, 2006; Evan Bigley, 2008; Jason Krizan, 2011 and Boomer Collins, 2012.
