Pitcher Caleb Smith is a second team selection. Outfielder Jake Arrington and pitcher Michael Oros are members of the third team. Honorable mention selections for the Bearkats are outfielders Luke Plucheck and Colt Atwood and pitcher Justin Jackson.
In addition, first-year head coach David Pierce of Sam Houston has been voted as the 2012 Southland Conference "Coach of the Year."
Azar and Miller led the Bearkats in hitting and ranked second and 15th in the league in hitting this season. Azar has produced a .383 batting mean, leading Sam Houston with 33 RBIs. The sophomore from the Woodlands has produced 20 multiple hit games.
Miller hit .326 this spring, producing Sam Houston's longest hitting streak of the season (12 games) and 16 multiple hit performances. Miller totaled 61 hits including nine doubles.
Smith owns an 8-4 record on the mound in 2012, ranking fourth in the Southland Conference with a 2.64 earned run average. The sophomore held foes to a .202 batting average and led the Bearkats with 79 strike outs.
Arrington has hit .297 with seven doubles, eight triples and three home runs this season for a .483 slugging average. The senior outfielder leads the Southland in triples and has posted 15 multiple-hit games.
Oros boasts the third best earned run average in the Southland Conference with a team-leading 2.29 mark. The senior owns a 7-1 record on the mound with two saves. He has totaled 52 strikes and limited foes to a .188 batting average.
Plucheck hit .295 with six doubles, five triples and one home run while Atwood has been one of the league's top freshmen with a .316 average, third best on the team, including eight doubles and two triples. Jackson has totaled a 7-4 record with a 3.26 earned run average and 57 strike outs.
The eight All-Southland Bearkats led Sam Houston its first league regular season title since 1989. With only three returning starters and 16 newcomers on the 35-man roster, the Kats tied the Southland record for most league victories in a season (24) and rolled to series victories in 10 of their 11 weekend outings. Three of the series wins were sweeps.
Sam Houston is the No. 1 seed at the Southland Conference post-season tournament in San Marcos which begins Wednesday.
2012 All-Southland Conference Baseball Team
First Team
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Jonathan Pace |
Southeastern La. |
Sr. |
Terry, Miss. |
|
2B |
Brock Hebert |
Southeastern La. |
Jr. |
Bourg, La. |
|
3B |
Kevin Miller |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
Pearland, Texas |
|
SS |
Hunter Dozier |
Stephen F. Austin |
So. |
Denton, Texas |
|
C |
Travis Snider |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Alvin, Texas |
|
OF |
Preston Beck |
UT Arlington |
Jr. |
Dallas, Texas |
|
OF |
Jeff McVaney |
Texas State |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
OF |
Seth Granger |
McNeese State |
Sr. |
Iowa, La. |
|
DH |
Anthony Azar |
Sam Houston State |
So. |
The Woodlands, Texas |
|
P |
Daniel Minor |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
Dripping Springs, Texas |
|
P |
Travis Ballew |
Texas State |
Jr. |
Rockwall, Texas |
|
P |
Stefan Lopez |
Southeastern La. |
Jr. |
New Iberia, La. |
Second Team
|
1B |
Bryan Willson |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Camarillo, Calif. |
|
2B |
Philip Lyons |
Nicholls State |
So. |
Thibodaux, La. |
|
3B |
Ryan Dalton |
UTSA |
Jr. |
Sugar Land, Texas |
|
SS |
Ryan Walker |
UT Arlington |
So. |
Arlington, Texas |
|
C |
Andrew Stumph |
Texas State |
Jr. |
Katy, Texas |
|
OF |
Forrestt Allday |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Friendswood, Texas |
|
OF |
Jonathan Davis |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Camden, Ark. |
|
OF |
Will Watson |
Northwestern St |
Jr. |
Dallas, Texas |
|
DH |
Jeremy Hill |
Nicholls State |
Sr. |
Long Beach, Miss. |
|
P |
Caleb Smith |
Sam Houston |
So. |
Huntsville, Texas |
|
P |
Lance Day |
UT Arlington |
Sr. |
Snyder, Texas |
|
P |
Colton Turner |
Texas State |
Jr. |
Joshua, Texas |
Third Team
|
1B |
Casey Kalenkosky |
Texas State |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
2B |
Freddy Villalobos |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
3B |
Darian Johnson |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Chandler, Ariz. |
|
SS |
RJ Perucki |
UTSA |
So. |
Tomball, Texas |
|
C |
Jarid Scarafiotti |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Shreveport, La. |
|
OF |
Jake Arrington |
Sam Houston St |
Sr. |
Gunter, Texas |
|
OF |
Cody Gougler |
Southeastern La. |
Sr. |
Huntsville, Texas |
|
OF |
Drew Helenihi |
Northwestern St |
Sr. |
Livermore, Calif. |
|
DH |
Jonathan Gonzales |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
Buda, Texas |
|
P |
Alex Moshier |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Beaumont, Texas |
|
P |
Joe Scanio |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
|
P |
Michael Oros |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Kingwood, Texas |
Individual Superlative Winners
Player of the Year: Brock Hebert, Southeastern Louisiana
Hitter of the Year: Brock Hebert, Southeastern Louisiana
Pitcher of the Year: Travis Ballew, Texas State
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Stefan Lopez, Southeastern Louisiana
Freshman of the Year: Andro Cutura, Southeastern Louisiana
Newcomer of the Year: Daniel Minor, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Coach of the Year: David Pierce, Sam Houston State
Honorable Mention - First Base: Casey Selsor, UTSA; Brad Picha, Lamar. Second Base: Michael Guerra, UT Arlington. Third Base: Nick Hinojos, Northwestern State. Shortstop: Drew Vest, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Outfield: Preston Morrow, UT Arlington; Colt Atwood, Sam Houston State; Jordan Lee, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Harry Slade, Southeastern Louisiana; Ethan Harris, Central Arkansas; Luke Plucheck, Sam Houston State; Daniel Rockett, UTSA. Designated Hitter: Seth Dornak, Lamar. Pitchers: Mason Melotakis, Northwestern State; Andro Cutura, Southeastern Louisiana; Dylan Hills, Southeastern Louisiana; Blake Ware, McNeese State; Justin Jackson, Sam Houston State; Phillip Garcia, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
