Kats match SLC-best five preseason honorees
2/13/2017 12:48:00 PM | Baseball
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HUNTSVILLE – Twenty-third ranked Sam Houston State has notched five Southland Conference preseason honorees, matching Southeastern Louisiana and Lamar for the most in the league, announced Monday.
The Bearkats, who open the 2017 season on Friday at home against Nevada, had a pair of players named to the preseason first-team squad including outfielder Bryce Johnson and starting pitcher Heath Donica.
“Heath is the undisputed leader of our pitching staff,” third-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “He's the same guy every day. He prepares like a professional and has a legit three-pitch mix. Bryce Johnson can really run and defend and he's a thorn in your side at the plate. He's the best defender I've ever had in center. For him to go home over the summer and learn to switch hit is a remarkable feat.”
Three Sam Houston players were touted among the 12-member second-team preseason honorees including third baseman Andrew Fregia, catcher Robie Rojas and pitcher Riley Gossett.
“It's nice to be honored and have your peers think that of you and other coaches think that of you,” Deggs said. “Ultimately, the game is played on the field and not on paper. We won the league and the tournament last year with no first teamers. It's good to be recognized but would you rather be preseason all-conference or all-conference at the end of the year? You have to earn that.”
The accolades are the most recent in what has been an outpouring of preseason praise for the squad. Individually, Johnson was touted as the top Southland player in the 2017 draft class as was the case for Fregia in the 2018 class by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game.
Meanwhile, Donica and Rojas headline a battery that made their mark nationally during their first seasons as Bearkats in 2016. Donica finished 18th in victories (10) and 20th in complete games (4) while Rojas boasted an NCAA-best 30 runners caught stealing.
Gossett, the squad's projected Sunday starter, returns for his sophomore campaign after being named a D1Baseball Freshman All-American behind a 7-0 record and 2.64 ERA in his inaugural season.
Sam Houston has been overwhelmingly picked to win the Southland by both the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Kats return 18 letterwinners and eight everyday positional players from a squad that won both the regular season and tournament title in 2016.
“You can have a great year and return everybody but what everyone has to understand is you don't start out in June or where you left off,” Deggs said. “You start all over. When you start all over and there are high expectations, there is a big target on your back. You have to put your head down, humble yourself and keep grinding.”
Season tickets, individual game seats and a three-game ticket package which includes Texas, Rice and Dallas Baptist, are all on sale by calling (936) 294-1729 or by visiting GoBearkats.com. Sam Houston posted a 22-6 home record a season ago in front of an average of 1,100 spectators.
The Bearkats, who enter the season on a 10-game home winning streak, will host seven games against preseason top-25 teams including three games against No. 13 Louisiana and the first ever visit from No. 17 Texas. Sam Houston also welcomes No. 20 Houston and No. 21 Rice.
“When you get into game week, it's a year in the making and you flip the script,” Deggs said. “As far as preparing, we won't change a whole lot this week. We haven't spent a year preparing for Nevada. Nevada is not the first and last series of the year. We need to spend this week getting better. It's a process.”
2017 Preseason All-Southland Baseball Teams
First Team
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Trey Silvers |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Manvel, Texas |
|
2B |
Carson Crites * |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Amarillo, Texas |
|
3B |
Dakota Dean * |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Crestview, Fla. |
|
SS |
Aaron Palmer * |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Jesup, Ga. |
|
OF |
Reid Russell * |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Longview, Texas |
|
OF |
Conner Fikes * |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Rowlett, Texas |
|
OF |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
Cypress, Texas |
|
|
C |
Bryndan Arredondo * |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Lubbock, Texas |
|
DH |
Hezekiah Randolph * |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
|
P |
Mac Sceroler * |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Denham Springs, La. |
|
P |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Corsicana, Texas |
|
|
P |
Collin Kober * |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Lake Charles, La. |
Second Team
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Russell Crippen |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Snohomish, Wash. |
|
2B |
David Fry * |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Colleyville, Texas |
|
3B |
Robin Adames[1] |
Lamar |
So. |
Bronx, N.Y. |
|
3B |
Sam Houston State |
So. |
Liberty, Texas |
|
|
SS |
Brennan Breaud * |
Southeastern Louisiana |
So. |
Norco, La. |
|
OF |
Webb Bobo * |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Prattville, Ala. |
|
OF |
Zac Michener * |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Kennedale, Texas |
|
OF |
Cutter McDowell |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Friendswood, Texas |
|
C |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Jersey Village, Texas |
|
|
DH |
Kyle Knauth* |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Slidell, La. |
|
P |
Sam Houston State |
So. |
Cypress, Texas |
|
|
P |
Kade Granier |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Destrehan, La. |
|
P |
Cody Davenport |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
Fayetteville, Ark. |
*2016 All-Conference selection
[1] Tied with same number of votes for 3B
