Nine Kats All-Southland - Pierce Top Coach
5/20/2013 4:04:00 PM | Baseball
For the second consecutive season, third baseman Kevin Miller and catcher Anthony Azar have been voted to the All-Southland Conference first team, while David Pierce was named Coach of the Year.
They top a list of nine Sam Houston players who have been voted to the 2013 All-Southland Conference baseball squad.
Second baseman Jessie Plumlee, outfielder Luke Plucheck, and pitcher Caleb Smith are members of the second team. Honorable mention selections for the Bearkats are shortstop Carter Burgess, outfielder Colt Atwood, designated hitter Hayden Simerly, and pitcher Cody Dickson.
After guiding the Bearkats to a second consecutive regular-season title, Sam Houston's Pierce repeated as the Southland coach of the year. Sam Houston finished 20-7 in conference play and will take a 36-18 overall record as the top seed into the conference tournament later this week.
The Kats picked up big non-conference wins over Baylor, Houston, Rice, Texas, and Texas A&M. During conference play, they posted seven series wins and four sweeps. Pierce is the first Southland coach to win consecutive honors since Texas-San Antonio's Sherman Corbett (2007-08).
Miller leads the team in hitting with a .353 average and 71 hits this season. He's been a singles machine with only eight of his hits going for extra bases. The senior has 34 RBI and 35 runs scored.
Azar leads the team in runs batted in with 45, while batting .314 with 19 doubles and five homers. The junior has 61 hits and 34 runs scored. The backstop is yet to make an error this season.
Plumlee has played in multiple positions for the Bearkats this season but makes the All-Conference squad as a second baseman. The senior is batting .318 with 25 RBI and 30 runs scored.
Plucheck has had an explosion of power this season with nine homeruns and 40 RBI. The junior is batting .309 with nine doubles, four triples, and 38 runs scored.
Smith has put together a solid season on the mound with a 7-4 record and a 3.20 ERA. The junior has 68 strikeouts in 14 starts and two relief outings.
Burgess is batting .315 with 67 hits, 24 RBI and 38 runs scored. Atwood is batting .304 with 24 RBI and 38 runs scored. Simerly has a team-leading nine homeruns with 36 RBI. Dickson has a team-high 85 strikeouts with two complete-game shutouts this season.
After guiding the Bearkats to a second consecutive regular-season title, Sam Houston's Pierce repeated as the Southland coach of the year. Sam Houston finished 20-7 in conference play and will take a 36-18 overall record as the top seed into the conference tournament later this week.
The Kats picked up big non-conference wins over Baylor, Houston, Rice, Texas, and Texas A&M. During conference play, they posted seven series wins and four sweeps. Pierce is the first Southland coach to win consecutive honors since Texas-San Antonio's Sherman Corbett (2007-08).
The nine All-Southland Bearkats led Sam Houston to its second consecutive league regular-season title and third overall.
Sam Houston is the No. 1 seed at the Southland Conference post-season tournament in Sugar Land which begins Wednesday.
2013 Southland All-Conference Teams
|
First Team |
|
|
|
|
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Brad Porras |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Needville, Texas |
|
2B |
V.J. Bunner |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Vidor, Texas |
|
3B |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Pearland, Texas |
|
|
SS |
Hunter Dozier2 |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Denton, Texas |
|
OF |
Darian Johnson2 |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Chandler, Ariz. |
|
OF |
Eric Weiss |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
OF |
Forrest Allday2 |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Friendswood, Texas |
|
C |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
The Woodlands, Texas |
|
|
DH |
Jonathan Gonzales2 |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Buda, Texas |
|
P |
Alex Gonzalez |
Oral Roberts |
Jr. |
Delray Beach, Fla. |
|
P |
Caleb McClanahan |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Wynne, Ark. |
|
P |
Eric Harrington2 |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Groves, Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Second Team |
|
|
|
|
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Brad Picha |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Stevensville, Texas |
|
2B |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Rowlett, Texas |
|
|
3B |
Aaron Olivas |
Lamar |
Sr. |
El Paso, Texas |
|
SS |
Sam Bumpers |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Bourbornnais, Ill. |
|
OF |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
Tomball, Texas |
|
|
OF |
Ricardo Sanchez |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
OF |
Jackson Gooch |
McNeese State |
Jr. |
Delta, British Columbia |
|
C |
Michael Marietta |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Oak View, Calif. |
|
DH |
Seth Dornak |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Pearland, Texas |
|
P |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
Huntsville, Texas |
|
|
P |
Jonathan Dziedzic |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Humble, Texas |
|
P |
Brett Higginbotham |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Hutto, Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third Team |
|
|
|
|
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Chayse Marion |
McNeese State |
Jr. |
Red Deer, Alberta |
|
2B |
Cody Stephens |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
Concord, Calif. |
|
3B |
Jesse Buratt |
Southeastern La. |
Jr. |
Gonzales, La. |
|
SS |
Ben Hernandez |
Southeastern La. |
Sr. |
Zachary, La. |
|
OF |
Harry Slade |
Southeastern La. |
Sr. |
Baltimore, Md. |
|
OF |
Matt Richard |
Nicholls State |
Sr. |
Gonzales, La. |
|
OF |
Jonathan Davis3 |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Camden, Ark. |
|
C |
Jose Trevino |
Oral Roberts |
So. |
Corpus Christi, Texas |
|
DH |
Tyler Boss |
Oral Roberts |
Jr. |
Spring, Texas |
|
P |
Trevor Foss |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Janesville, Wis. |
|
P |
Trevor Belicek |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
So. |
Uvalde, Texas |
|
P |
Blake Ware |
McNeese State |
Sr. |
White Oak, Texas |
Honorable Mention – First Base: Max Lamantia, Stephen F. Austin. Second Base: Blake Marchal, Central Arkansas; Freddy Villalobos, Stephen F. Austin. Third Base: Brandon Tierney, A&M-Corpus Christi. Shortstop: Carter Burgess, Sam Houston State. Outfield: Will Watson, Northwestern State; Jordan Lee, A&M-Corpus Christi; Colt Atwood, Sam Houston State; Kevin Cho, Oral Roberts. Catcher: Zach Luevanos, Lamar. Designated Hitter: Jameson Fisher, Southeastern La.; Hayden Simerly, Sam Houston State. Pitchers: Cody Dickson, Sam Houston State; Chase Greening, Stephen F. Austin; Bryce Biggerstaff, Central Arkansas; Bryce Kingsley, McNeese State; Jeff Enloe, Central Arkansas; Tate Scioneaux, Southeastern La.
2013 Southland Conference Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Hunter Dozier, Stephen F. Austin
Hitter of the Year: Hunter Dozier, Stephen F. Austin
Pitcher of the Year: Alex Gonzalez, Oral Roberts
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Brett Higginbotham, Stephen F. Austin
Freshman of the Year: Bryce Kingsley, McNeese State
Newcomer of the Year: Sam Bumpers, Lamar
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: David Pierce, Sam Houston State
