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β Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) May 23, 2022
After leading the AAC in both home runs (17) and slugging percentage (.676), @G_Merritt10 is your 2022 @American_BSB Player of the Year!#Bearcats | #NatiBoyz pic.twitter.com/5se3ZIXWbr
Griffin Merritt became the second player in school history to win the AAC Player of the Year, joining Ian Happ in 2015, after leading the conference with 17 home runs and 47 RBI. βItβs such a surreal feeling right now,β Merritt said in a statement per Cincinnati Athletics. βTo bring such a prestigious award back to the university means everything to me. Iβm very grateful.β
The Cincinnati native always wanted to be a part of the Bearcats program and he certainly cemented himself as one of the best players in recent history with a second consecutive All-AAC campaign. He was named to the All-AAC Second Team as a sophomore last year before moving up to a first team selection in 2022.
.@GoBearcatsBASE outfielder @G_Merritt10 has been named Player of the Year.
β American Baseball (@American_BSB) May 23, 2022
Merritt leads The @American_Conf with 17 home runs and is fifth in the conference with 47 runs batted in. pic.twitter.com/WOzdGN1sJ5
Cincinnati Baseball: Griffin Merritt named AAC Player of the Year
Merritt was one of the most consistent hitters in the conference this season, finishing the regular season with a .309 batting average, .377 on-base percentage, .676 slugging percentage, 127 total bases and 41 runs scored. The junior left fielder also ranked second in the AAC with 16 doubles and 20 walks.
The Bearcats had four other players earn postseason honors on Monday. Paul Komistek, Ryan Nicholson, Beau Keathley, and Conner Linn were selected to the All-AAC Second Team. Komistek led the team with 68 hits this season. Keathley was fourth in the conference with 83 strikeouts and 76 innings pitched.
https://twitter.com/GoBearcatsBASE/status/1529039513707851776
Before the Bearcats moved to the American Conference in 2014, Josh Harrison won the Big East Player of the Year and led the team to the conference championship game in 2008. Merritt will look to recreate that type of performance as the AAC Tournament is scheduled to start on Tuesday morning.
Cincinnati takes on Tulane in the first round of the double-elimination tournament at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 AM on ESPN+. The Bearcats went 2-1 against Tulane this season but all three games were decided by one run including Merritt scoring a game-winning run in the series opener on May 6.