Bearkats Headline Preseason All-Southland Team
1/31/2013 2:30:00 PM | Baseball
Sam Houston State junior designated hitter Anthony Azar and senior third baseman Kevin Miller headline the 2013 preseason all-conference teams, the league office announced Wednesday.
A first-team all-conference designated hitter last season, Azar led Sam Houston State with a .354 batting averaging and a .497 slugging percentage, which both ranked fifth in the conference. Azar, who paced the conference's most efficient offense, recorded 10 doubles, three triples and three home runs while knocking in 38 runs and scoring 24 times.
Miller returns this season after earning first-team honors a season ago. Miller batted .315 while slugging .384 for the Sam Houston offense. The senior third baseman also recorded nine doubles, two home runs and nine RBI.
Sam Houston State, the defending regular-season champion, leads all teams with three first-team selections and tied Oral Roberts and Stephen F. Austin with four overall preseason all-conference selections.
Completing the first-team picks for Sam Houston is junior pitcher Caleb Smith. Smith earned second-team all-conference honors last season after finishing fifth in the league in opposing batting average (.219), fifth in strike outs (82) and 12th in earned run average (3.23). In 16 starts, Smith posted an 8-6 record with two complete games. Sophomore outfielder Colt Atwood was named second-team all-conference for the Bearkats.
Conference newcomer Oral Roberts placed four players on the preseason all-conference teams with sophomore catcher Jose Trevino and senior pitcher Drew Bowen earning first-team honors.
Bowen is ORU's top-returning pitcher after posting a 7-2 record last season with a 1.95 ERA. In 13 starts, Bowen went the distance four times and recorded two shutouts. In his only relief appearance of the year, Bowen was credited with the save.
Dozier was the lone Lumberjack to earn first-team all-conference but teammates Max Lamantia, a sophomore first baseman, Freddy Villalobos, a senior second baseman, and Cameron Gann, a sophomore pitcher each earn a spot a the second team.
Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana each had three players earn preseason all-conference honors, while Lamar and Northwestern State had two selections apiece. Nicholls State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had one each.
Returning players who earned first- and second-team all-conference honors following the 2012 season automatically receive preseason honors. Third-team postseason selections move into vacated positions on the first and second preseason teams. The remaining spots are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Opening day of the Southland season is Feb. 15 with conference play beginning March 22. The Southland Conference tournament will be played May 22-25 at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.
2013 Preseason All-Southland Conference Baseball Teams
First Team
Pos. Name University Class Hometown
1B Brad Picha Lamar Sr. Stephenville, Texas
2B Philip Lyons* Nicholls State Jr. Thibodaux, La.
3B Kevin Miller* Sam Houston State Sr. Pearland, Texas
SS Hunter Dozier* Stephen F. Austin Jr. Denton, Texas
C Jose Trevino Oral Roberts So. Corpus Christi, Texas
OF Forrestt Allday* Central Arkansas Sr. Friendswood, Texas
OF Jonathan Davis* Central Arkansas Jr. Camden, Ark.
OF Will Watson* Northwestern State Sr. Dallas, Texas
DH Anthony Azar* Sam Houston State Jr. The Woodlands, Texas
P Caleb Smith* Sam Houston State Jr. Huntsville, Texas
P Dylan Hills Southeastern La. Jr. Ponchatoula, La.
P Drew Bowen Oral Roberts Sr. Tulsa, Okla.
Second Team
Pos. Name University Class Hometown
1B Max Lamantia Stephen F. Austin So. Flower Mound, Texas
2B Freddy Villalobos* Stephen F. Austin Sr. Houston, Texas
3B Darian Johnson* Lamar Sr. Chandler, Ariz.
SS Ben Hernandez Southeastern La. Sr. Zachary, La.
C Nick Purdy Northwestern State Sr. Pascagoula, Miss.
OF Ethan Harris Central Arkansas Sr. White Hall, Ark.
OF Colt Atwood Sam Houston State So. Katy, Texas
OF Logan Domenico Oral Roberts So. Scottsdale, Ariz.
DH Jonathan Gonzales* A&M-Corpus Christi Sr. Buda, Texas
P Jordan Hymel Southeastern La. Sr. Lutcher, La.
P Alex Gonzalez Oral Roberts Jr. Delray Beach, Fla.
P Cameron Gann Stephen F. Austin So. Crandall, Texas
*Returning all-conference selection;
