Nine Roadrunners named to All-SLC teams, three earn yearly awards

FRISCO ? After a season that saw UTSA win a Southland Conference-record 24 games, nine Roadrunners were named to the All-SLC teams and three earned yearly honors, the league office announced on Monday.

Seventh-year head coach Sherman Corbett was named the Clay Gould Coach of the Year after leading his squad to a 34-20 overall record, 24-6 mark in league play and the program’s first-ever regular season title. The Roadrunners posted back-to-back 30-win campaigns for the first time in 12 years (1994-95) and also recorded 20 SLC wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in school annals, as they won nine of 10 conference series. The winningest coach in school history (209 victories), Corbett has coached three of the UTSA’s five 30-win squads and now has mentored 33 All-SLC players, including seven first-teamers and six yearly award winners.

Junior first baseman Trent Lockwood, one of three Roadrunners selected to the third team, was named the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Lockwood’s first season at UTSA has been nothing short of spectacular, as he leads the team in nearly every offensive category: batting average (.385/No. 2 on UTSA’s single-season list), hits (82), multi-hit games (28), doubles (UTSA-record and SLC-leading 23), home runs (13/T-No. 4 on UTSA’s single-season list), RBIs (54/T-No. 5 on UTSA’s single-season ledger), multi-RBI performances (13), total bases (150), slugging percentage (.704) and on-base percentage (.441). He has reached base by hit or walk in all but four games this season, including three hitting streaks of eight or more contests (8, 11, 12). Lockwood was more impressive in SLC games, hitting .413 with a league-leading 17 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 37 RBIs, 98 total bases, a .810 slugging percentage and .467 on-base percentage. He ranked second in batting average, hits, homers, total bases and slugging percentage.

Redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar, the third-team designated hitter, earned Freshman of the Year honors. The College Station native’s first full season was solid, as he started 51 of the team’s 54 games and hit .307 with a UTSA freshman-record 54 runs scored (T-No. 4 UTSA’s single-season list), 11 doubles, three triples, five homers, 34 RBIs, 27 walks, a .404 on-base percentage (second on the squad) and a team-leading 12 stolen bases (in 12 attempts). He was just as steady in league games, ranking second in the SLC in runs scored (34) and third in stolen bases (nine).

The first team, surprisingly absent of any Roadrunners, was led by Lamar’s four selections and Sam Houston State’s three.

UTSA had a league-best four second-team honorees: junior catcher Zach Etheredge, sophomore second baseman James Keithley, sophomore center fielder Michael Rockett and senior relief pitcher Josh Blakley.

Etheredge ? one of three captains on this year’s squad ? has been a true iron man behind the plate, catching all but one inning this season. The Boerne native, who is hitting .327 with 45 RBIs, leads the squad with 13 multi-RBI performances and ranks second with 17 doubles, nine home runs and a .545 slugging percentage. He also was solid defensively, posting a .989 fielding percentage, while throwing out 31 percent of runners attempting to steal. Etheredge hit .339 with 13 doubles, a triple, seven homers, 28 RBIs, 78 total bases, a .629 slugging percentage and a .381 on-base percentage in SLC action.

Keithley, who started 45 games at second and nine others in left field, followed up his impressive freshman campaign by ranking second on the club with 49 runs, three triples and nine stolen bases. The San Antonio native also has hit .310 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 33 RBIs this year. He moved into the leadoff spot on March 9 and the squad has a 30-11 (.732) mark since that time. Keithley, who has scored a run in 26 of the past 38 contests, had a career-best 19-game hitting streak from March 4-April 6 and, since starting the season 2-for-21 (.095), is hitting .332 (69-208) with nine doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 31 RBIs. He registered a .321 batting average with 33 runs, six two-baggers, a pair of triples, five homers, 20 RBIs and a .395 on-base percentage in league play.

Rockett, a 2006 Freshman All-American, has had yet another spectacular season in the outfield and at the plate. Now a two-time second-team selection, he stands second on the team with 51 RBIs, in addition to ranking third in batting average (.328), hits (75), multi-hit games (23), doubles (15), multi-RBI efforts (12) and total bases (116). The Sugar Land native also has a triple, eight home runs, 45 runs and six stolen bases to his credit this year. One of the nation’s top center fielders, he has posted a .987 fielding percentage with a team-high seven outfield assists. His 34 runs scored in conference games ranked second in the league and Rockett also hit .351 with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 32 RBIs and a .595 slugging percentage.

Blakley has appeared in a team-high 26 games out of the UTSA bullpen and has a perfect 6-0 record with one save and a team-best 2.73 ERA (third SLC). He also owns a sterling 54/12 strikeout-to-walk ratio (nearly 5-to-1) in 62.2 innings of work. A true middle reliever, he has gone at least four innings in eight of his appearances and at least three in two others. The Lorena native was even more impressive in SLC contests, posting a 4-0 mark with a 1.95 ERA and 32/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 37 innings of work (15 appearances).

Joining Lockwood and Palincsar on the third team was senior third baseman Ryan Saltzgaber. The Abilene native has had finest season as a Roadrunner, hitting .345 with 11 two-baggers, a pair of triples, nine home runs and 40 RBIs. He ranks second on the club in batting average, hits (77), multi-hit contests (25), homers and total bases (119) and stands third with a .534 slugging percentage. Saltzgaber was even better in SLC play, recording a .346 batting average with seven doubles, a triple, six long balls, 23 RBIs and a .559 slugging percentage.

The Roadrunners also had a pair of honorable mention selections in senior outfielder Mitch Ponza and senior starting pitcher Josh Ruffin.

Ponza has seen action in 46 contests this season, including 39 starts in right field. The Soquel, Calif., native leads the squad with four triples and ranks third with 24 walks. He has a total of 22 extra-base hits (13 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR) in addition to hitting .284 with 32 RBIs, a .516 slugging percentage and five stolen bases. Ponza hit .282 with nine doubles, a SLC-best four triples, four homers, 27 RBIs, a .586 slugging percentage and .403 on-base percentage in league contests.

Ruffin, also a tri-captain, owns a 6-4 record with a 4.66 ERA in his 15 starting assignments this season. The Roadrunners are 11-4 in his starts and he leads team with 67 strikeouts in a staff-best 92.2 innings. The Humble native also has team-high seven quality starts, three complete games and one shutout. Ruffin was 5-2 with 3.92 ERA, three complete games and a shutout in 10 Southland Conference starts.

UTSA opens play in the 20th annual SLC Tournament on Wednesday against No. 6 seed Stephen F. Austin (30-26). First pitch from Brown-Stroud Stadium in Natchitoches, La., is slated for 11 a.m.

2007 All-Southland Conference Teams
First team
C - Michael Ambort, Lamar

1B - Steven Hill, Stephen F. Austin
2B - Ryan Baker, Lamar
3B - Bryan Cartie, McNeese State
SS - Brandon Richey, Northwestern State
OF - Charlie Kingrey, McNeese State
OF - Eric Kanaby, Lamar
OF - Bobby Verbick, Sam Houston State
DH - Karl Krailo, Sam Houston State
P - Justin Fiske, Texas State

P - Luke Prihoda, Sam Houston State
P - Brian Sisk, Lamar

Second team
C - Zach Etheredge, UTSA

1B - David Wood, Texas State
2B - James Keithley, UTSA
3B - Craig Nyborg, Central Arkansas
SS - Thomas Field, Texas State
OF - Keith Stein, Sam Houston State
OF - Collin DeLome, Lamar
OF - Michael Rockett, UTSA
DH - Chase Burch, Southeastern Louisiana
P - Josh Blakley, UTSA

P - Allen Harrington, Lamar
P - Jacob Howard, Sam Houston State

Third team
C - Joe Hulett, McNeese State
1B - Trent Lockwood, UTSA
2B - Richard Imhoff, Southeastern Louisiana
3B - Ryan Saltzgaber, UTSA
SS - Kyle Rudy, Texas-Arlington
OF - Chase Williams, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
OF - Aaron Garza, Texas State
OF - Jared Pitts, Stephen F. Austin
DH - Tim Palincsar, UTSA
P - Jason Baca, Texas State
P - Erich Lehmann, Stephen F. Austin
P - Lance Luetge, Stephen F. Austin

Honorable mention
C?Kevin Croft, Stephen F. Austin. 1B?Jason Graham, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. 2B?Casey Guest, Texas State; Clint Mann, Sam Houston State; Noel Trevino, Stephen F. Austin. 3B?Ty Summerlin, Southeastern Louisiana. SS?Bryan Gerondale, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Jeremy Holzbach, Sam Houston State; Shon Landry, McNeese State. OF?Zach Gardner, Stephen F. Austin; Chris Houk, Central Arkansas; Mitch Ponza, UTSA; Todd Sebek, Sam Houston State. DH?Paul Goldschmidt, Texas State; Danny Slinkman, Texas-Arlington; Chris Widner, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. P?Josh Black, Southeastern Louisiana; Derek Blacksher, McNeese State; Chris Denton, McNeese State; Tim Erickson, Lamar; Jimmy Heard, Northwestern State; Jesse Marshall, Sam Houston State; Josh Ruffin, UTSA; Matt Whitaker, Central Arkansas.

Player of the Year: Steven Hill, Stephen F. Austin
Hitter of the Year: Steven Hill, Stephen F. Austin
Pitcher of the Year: Luke Prihoda, Sam Houston State
Newcomer of the Year: Trent Lockwood, UTSA
Freshman of the Year: Tim Palincsar, UTSA
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: Sherman Corbett, UTSA