Prince George's Buddy Foster Named ABCA/Diamond NJCAA Division III District D Regional Coach Of The Year

LARGO, Md. - Prince George's Community College baseball head coach Buddy Foster has been named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III District D Regional Coach Of The Year, announced on Thursday.

Foster led the Owls to one of their best seasons in program history in 2017 after finishing with a 33-15-1 overall mark and a 12-11 record in Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (MD JUCO) action. The Largo program, who was ranked in the NJCAA Division III National Baseball Rankings in six of the final seven polls in the regular season, posted a 14-4 record against Division III competition and a 21-4 mark in non-conference games this season.

The squad won its second NJCAA Division III Region XX title in four years and then won the NJCAA Division III District D Championship to advance to the NJCAA Division III World Series for the second time under Foster. With a 12-9 win against Surry in the opening game of the NJCAA Division III District D Championships on May 19, the sixth-year head coach earned his 100th career victory. 

Prince George's was one of the best offensive teams in the nation after leading NJCAA Division III in home runs (54) and slugging percentage  (.569) while ranking fifth in batting average (.359), fifth in stolen bases (117), sixth in doubles (118), seventh in on-base percentage (.569), ninth in runs scored (414), ninth in RBIs (357), 10th in hits (556) and 10th in triples (21).

The Owls also received numerous awards for the year, including having two players receive NJCAA Division III All-American recognition. Prince George's placed five players on the All-NJCAA Division III Region XX team and two on the MD JUCO all-conference team. In addition, a player was named the NJCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Week twice this season. 

The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 8,200 members represent all 50 states and 23 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, the association's annual awards program has grown to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Division I, II, III, Pacific Association Division and High School.

The Coaches of the Year will be honored during the ABCA/Diamond Hall of Fame/Coach of the Year Banquet at the 74th annual ABCA Convention, which will be held Jan. 4-7, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The banquet is set for Jan. 5, 2018 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.