Kats picked second in WAC

ARLINGTON — Sam Houston has been picked second in the Western Athletic Conference preseason baseball coaches' poll and senior Carlos Contreras is the preseason Player of the Year, the league announced Thursday.

The Bearkats received three first-place votes and 131 total points to come in behind Grand Canyon which garnered 10 first-place nods for 141 points. California Baptist was picked third (115), Abilene Christian, UTRGV and Sacramento State (100) tied for fourth followed by New Mexico State (88), Utah Tech (54), UT Arlington (47), Tarleton (40), Utah Valley (38), Seattle U (36) and Stephen F. Austin (24).

Contreras was also a unanimous selection to the preseason All-WAC team. He is the reigning WAC Player of the Year.

He finished last season second in the nation with 89 total RBI and led the country with an average of 1.59 RBI per game. He hit .400 with a .713 slugging percentage and .468 on-base percentage.

Contreras was 20th in the nation with 92 total hits, 38 of which went for extra bases including 14 home runs, 18 doubles and six triples. He had 27 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games as he set the SHSU single-game RBI record with nine in win at Stephen F. Austin on March 27.

The Bearkats open the season with a three-game series against Rhode Island at Don Sanders Stadium on Feb. 17-19.

Kats picked second in WAC

Players Mentioned

Carlos Contreras

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