MCCURRY AND HARTSFIELD ALSO HONORED BY LEAGUE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville Otters second baseman Josh Allen has been voted as the Frontier League Most Valuable Player for the 2016 season, the league announced Thursday.
Allen, who is in his third season with the Otters, is hitting .350 this summer with 44 RBIs and nine home runs. His batting average is second in the Frontier League behind River City’s Josh Silver (.358).
Adding to an already impressive resume this year, Allen has broken the Otters’ single-season doubles record with 30. He has also stolen 28 bases for Evansville and reached base 57 times by drawing walks.
In the Otters’ playoff-clinching win over Southern Illinois last Sunday, Allen went 2 for 5 with two runs scored in the lopsided 10- 1 victory.
Before coming to Evansville, Allen played at the University of West Florida.
Allen wasn’t the only Otters’ player recognized by the league in postseason awards. Along with Allen, closer Randy McCurry was voted to the Postseason Frontier League All-Star team.
In his first season with the Otters, McCurry made 33 appearances out of the bullpen and saved a league-leading 22 games. His 2.25 ERA is third on Evansville’s roster and he also has 39 strikeouts.
McCurry is a product of Oklahoma State University and he was a 2013 draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 23rd round.
The league is also honoring former clubhouse manager Sam Hartsfield with the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence for his many years of service to the Evansville Otters. In honor of Hartsfield, the league will also be renaming the Clubhouse Manager of the Year award in his honor.
Hartsfield retired after the 2015 season from Otters but still attends games regularly.
The Evansville Otters host Frontier League Divisional playoff games Sept. 6-7 at historic Bosse Field. Tickets are available by calling the Otters’ front office at 812-435-8686 or by visiting evansvilleotters.com.
Evansville won the Frontier League title in 2006 and this is the ninth postseason trip overall for the Otters’ franchise.
