Tim Briggs MAC Commonwealth League Coach of the Year,
Berwager, Hosler, Lane All Second Team All-Stars
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — Susquehanna University’s first-year head coach Tim Briggs, orginally of Lee, Mass., is the 1999 Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League Coach of the Year, while three of his players are on the league’s second-team All-Stars.
1997 first-team All-Star and senior center fielder T.J. Lane (Brandon, Fla./Tampa Jesuit H.S.) is a second-teamer this season, while junior shortstop Andy Berwager (Hanover/South Western H.S.) repeats his second-team honors of a year ago. Sophomore first baseman Lyle Hosler (Lititz/Manheim Township H.S.) rounds out the Crusader All-Stars.
Briggs completed his first season as a head coach on any level with the baseball team this season, guiding the team to a dramatic turnaround — finishing 16-13 overall, 8-6 and tied for third in the Commonwealth League after a 9-22 record and eighth-place league finish a year ago. He is the younger brother of Susquehanna’s head football coach Steve Briggs, serving as his defensive coordinator in the fall.
Briggs earned his bachelor’s degree at Western New England College and his master’s at American International College. He and his fiancee’ Liz Cranmer reside in Selinsgrove.
“This is honor which reflects what we did as a team this season. It was my first year as head coach and I learned a lot which hopefully will make us even better in future seasons,” said Briggs.
The 5-8, 170-pound Lane led the team in batting while tying for seventh in the MAC at .366 (34 of 93), also with a team high .464 on-base clip. He had five doubles and a team high three triples while tying for team lead in runs with 22. Lane also stole a team best 14 of 16 bases, ranking third in the MAC (0.52 per game), and had just one error in 51 chances defensively for a .980 fielding percentage.
A lifetime .340 hitter at Susquehanna, Lane finished sixth on the program’s career doubles list (25), also ranking eighth in hits (107), on-base percentage (.448) and stolen bases (30), and tied for eighth in runs (78).
“T.J. really led us this season. Offensively, he was our toughest out and our best base-runner and came up with some clutch hits and some game-winning runs. Defensively, he was probably the best outfielder in the conference” said Briggs. “He had a first-team All-Star season and it’s unfortunate he wasn’t recognized that way.”
Also a four-year football letterwinner who was a league All-Star at both split end and return specialist in each of the last two years, Lane is a sociology/psychology major and the son of JoAnne Lane of Brandon, Fla.
Berwager repeated his second-team honors as he was second on the team this season in both batting and on-base percentage, hitting .330 (31 of 94) with a .447 on-base clip. The 6-0, 190-pound lead-off hitter had a team best 19 walks and tied for the team lead in doubles with six. He also was second to Lane in stolen bases with 12 of 15, tying for sixth in the MAC (0.43 per game), and was second in runs with 19. Defensively, he also led the team with 72 assists while sporting an improved .903 fielding percentage, primarily at short. Also one of the team’s top starting pitchers, he led the team and finished fourth in the MAC in earned run average at 1.91, compiling a 3-3 record while striking out a team high 30 batters and walking just 15 in 47 innings.
Berwager is a career .344 hitter (67 of 195) at Susquehanna and ranks ninth all-time in on-base percentage at .446.
“We can’t ask much more from Andy. He led us offensively as our lead-off hitter, defensively as a more consistent shortstop, and on the mound as one of our top pitchers,” said Briggs. “He keeps improving with each year and we really look forward to having him for another season.”
Also the starting quarterback on the Crusader football team and a member of both the MAC All-Academic Football and Baseball Teams as a finance major, he is the son of Timothy and Sheri Berwager of Hanover.
The 6-2, 180-pound Hosler was one of just two players to start all 29 games for the Crusaders this season, leading the team defensively for a second-straight year with a .992 fielding percentage which included just two errors in 247 attempts. Presently with the best career fielding percentage in program history at .994, Hosler recorded the third most putouts in a season at Susquehanna this year with 227. Offensively, he was fourth among the regulars with a .391 on-base percentage and .264 (24 of 91) batting average while hitting in the middle of the lineup. Hosler tied Lane for the team lead in runs with 22, also recording four doubles and 12 RBI.
“Lyle is probably our best pure baseball player and has one of the best work ethics on the team. He is solid in all facets of his game,” said Briggs. “He is the kind of player who will really lead us the next two years.”
Like Berwager, Hosler is both an Academic All-American and MAC All-Academic Team candidate as a business major with an information systems and mathematics/secondary-education minor. He is the son of David and Jean Hosler of Lititz.
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