2002 Valley League MVP: Joe Honce| News

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2002 Valley League MVP: Joe Honce| News | Valley League Baseball

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2002 Valley League MVP: Joe Honce

HARRISONBURG, Va. (7/30/02) - Joe Honce (Covington) has been voted the 2002 Valley League Most Valuable Player by the league managers. Honce, a junior from West Virginia Wesleyan, garnered 46 points in the vote, which was enough to beat out Brent Metheny's (Harrisonburg) 41 points. The managers ranked their top eight candidates for MVP then a descending point value was assigned to the rankings, with the top rank receiving eight points and the bottom rank receiving one point.

Honce has started all 39 of Covington's game this season, most of which have come at second base and in the leadoff spot for the Lumberjacks. He is currently hitting .290 with one game remaining in the regular season.

Honce started out the year on a nine-game hit streak in which he hit .385 and scored 14 runs. Above .300 for most of the season, he has been slumping of late going just 8-for-52 (.154) in his last 13 games and seeing his average drop to its current mark. However, in those 13 games, Honce has scored another 10 runs brining his league-leading total to 38. For the season, Honce is averaging just about one run per game (.97). His 38 runs are 13 better than teammate Kevin Matuszek's second-best total of 25. Despite the recent slump, Honce is still second in the league in total hits (45) and leads the league in stolen bases (18). He has also walked 19 times and been hit eight times for the sixth-best on base percentage of .391. Along with 29 starts at second base, Honce has seen action in center field and right field. In 160 total chances, he has committed six errors good enough for a .962 fielding percentage.

In last night's 1-0 victory over Harrisonburg, Honce was hit by a pitch to extend his streak to 11 games in which he has reached base. Honce has failed to reach base in only five of the Jacks' 39 games. Last night's victory also gave Covington a one game lead in the Southern Division with one game left for both teams in the regular season. The two teams will also face off in the Southern Division playoffs which are scheduled to get under way Wednesday night.

MVP Voting

Player - Points
Joe Honce (CO) - 49
Brent Metheny (HA) - 41
E.J. Shanks (HA) - 19
Kevin White (NM) - 18
Chris Alexander (NM) - 13
Alan Beck (WA) - 10
Donnie Burkhalter (LU) - 10
Taylor Cobb (ST) - 10
Taylor Groce (FR) - 10
Justin Morgan (LU) - 10
Tim Pahuta (WI) - 10
Carlos Guevara (CO) - 8
Kevin Matuszek (CO) - 8
Clayton Hamilton (WI) - 7
Erick San Pedro (ST) - 6
Thomas Manzella (WA) - 5
Corey Coles (CO) - 4
Jason Martinez (HA) - 3
Chris Westervelt (NM) - 3
Blake Hendley (HA) - 2
Mike Macaluso (ST) - 2
Grant Smith (WI) - 2
Brett Brown (LU) - 1
Chris Taylor (FR) - 1