The list of awards Charger First Baseman Skylar McPhee earned in 2019 already included GCAA Player of the Year, FIrst Team All-Conference, and a GCAA Gold Glove. Go ahead and add NJCAA All-American to the list.
McPhee turned in the best offensive performance in program history this season, establishing 5 new single season records (batting average, hits, slugging, total bases, and extra base hits) and set the bar for future Chargers. The hard hitting first baseman (who can also pitch, by the way) slashed an impressive .427/.495.719 while launching 10 home runs, 16 doubles, and 4 triples. As good as those numbers are, he was even more effective in GCAA play, slashing .441/.500/.712 with 32 RBIs and 16 extra base hits against league opponents. When you toss in the Gold GLove defense at first base, it is not hard to see why he was tabbed as one of the top players in the entire country.
Head Coach Dash O'Neill raved about his first baseman's performance "I knew Skylar had a chance to be special the first time I saw him back in the fall of 2016, and I don't think there is any question that he set a new standard for excellence in our program. I don't know if I have ever seen a player more consistently good from start to finish than he was this season, and he really was the key piece to our offense all year long. Now you add in the fact that he anchored the infield defense at first base and threw in some of the toughest situations we faced all year on the mound and it is easy to see why he is an All-American. Murray State is getting a steal in this guy, and I can't wait to see how his career progresses in the future."