Roadrunners consensus choice to defend Southland Conference Championship

FRISCO ? Coming off one of the finest seasons in school history and with 20 letterwinners, eight pitchers and seven position starters returning, the UTSA baseball squad is the consensus choice to defend its regular season title, the Southland Conference office announced on Friday.

The Roadrunners, who won an SLC-record 24 league contests a year ago (36-22 overall), collected 10 first-place votes and 70 points in the Sports Information Directors Preseason Poll and eight first-place nods and 63 tallies in the head coaches rankings. UTSA outdistanced second-place choice Sam Houston State in the West Division by 13 and 10 points in the coaches and SIDs polls, respectively. Lamar, which was 34-25 overall and 20-10 in the league last season, was the choice to win the East Division in both polls (64 points in SIDs/62 in coaches).

The honors did not stop there, as the Roadrunners landed a league-high five players on the preseason first team. Senior catcher Zach Etheredge, senior first baseman Trent Lockwood, junior second baseman James Keithley, junior outfielder Michael Rockett and sophomore designated hitter Tim Palincsar all were named to the conference's top squad.

Etheredge was a 2007 second-team All-SLC choice and a true iron man, as he started all 58 games and caught all but one inning for the Roadrunners a year ago. The Boerne native, who threw out 30 percent of runners attempting to steal, ranked second on the squad with 17 doubles, nine home runs and 13 multi-RBI performances. He also stood third with 40 RBIs and a .515 slugging percentage in addition to posting a .313 batting average and .359 on-base percentage. Etheredge hit .339 with 13 doubles, a triple, seven homers, 28 RBIs, 78 total bases, a .629 slugging percentage and .381 on-base percentage in SLC games.

Lockwood, who was the league's Newcomer of the Year and third-team first baseman, had one of the most productive seasons in school history in 2007. In 57 games of action (56 starts), the Groesbeck native led the team in nearly every offensive category: batting average (.378/No. 3 on UTSA single-season list), hits (87/No. 3 on UTSA single season chart), multi-hit games (30), doubles (UTSA-record and SLC-leading 23), home runs (14/No. 4 on UTSA single-season ledger), RBIs (57/No. 4 on UTSA single-season list), multi-RBI performances (14), total bases (158), slugging percentage (.687) and on-base percentage (.434). He reached base by hit or walk in all but five contests, tied UTSA’s single-game record for hits when he went 5-for-5 with a double and home run at Nicholls State (May 12) and tied the UTSA mark with two hits in the third inning on April 7 at UT Arlington. Lockwood, who is a member of the Wallace Award (nation's top player) watch list, was even 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 the league in batting average, hits, homers, total bases and slugging percentage.

Keithley, a second-team all-conference honoree last season, started 49 games at second base and nine in left field in 2007. The San Antonio native ranked second on the club with 52 runs, three triples and nine stolen bases. He also posted a .316 batting average with 12 doubles, eight home runs and 36 RBIs. Keithley tied UTSA’s single-game record for hits when he went 5-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs against Lamar (May 25) in the SLC Tournament and also had a career-best 19-game hitting streak from March 4-April 6. The Roadrunners were 32-13 (.711) after he moved into leadoff spot on March 9 against the College of Charleston and he scored a run in 28 of the final 40 games of the year, including the SLC Championship clincher vs. Texas State (May 18). Keithley had a .321 batting average with 33 runs, six doubles, a triple, five homers, 20 RBIs, a .511 slugging percentage and .395 on-base percentage in conference play.

Rockett earned second-team All-SLC accolades for the second year in a row last season. A starter in all 58 games in center field, he finished second on the club with 80 hits and 52 RBIs. The Sugar Land native also stood third on the squad with a .325 batting average, 24 multi-hit games, 15 doubles, 121 total bases and 12 multi-RBI efforts. Rockett also had a triple, eight home runs, 45 runs, seven stolen bases and a team-best seven outfield assists. A 2006 Freshman All-American, he hit .351 with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 32 RBIs, a .595 slugging percentage and 34 runs scored in league play a year ago.

Palincsar was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and the league's third-team designated hitter last season. He started 55 of the team’s 58 games and hit .304 with a team-leading and UTSA freshman-record 56 runs scored (No. 4 UTSA single-season list). The College Station native added 13 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 37 RBIs, 30 walks, a .406 on-base percentage and a team-best 13 stolen bases (in 13 attempts). Palincsar was just as steady in league games, ranking second in the SLC in runs scored (34) and third in stolen bases (nine).

Additionally, senior shortstop Marshal Davis and junior infielder Lance Brown earned honorable mention accolades.

Davis started all 58 games at shortstop for the Roadrunners last season. The Conroe native reached base by hit, walk or hit by pitch in 50 contests, led the team with 36 walks and was tied for second with three triples. He also scored 33 runs, stroked seven doubles, drove in 23 runs and stole four bases (in four attempts).

Brown, who played in 51 games at both shortstop and third base at Temple Junior College in 2007, hit .393 (68-173) with a .449 on-base percentage and .526 slugging percentage out of the leadoff spot last year. The Richland Hills native also clubbed 13 doubles and five triples to go along with 51 runs scored and 28 RBIs.

The Roadrunners begin the 2008 season in two weeks when they host the four-team UTSA Baseball Classic at Wolff Stadium. UTSA begins round-robin play against No. 40 Oral Roberts at 6 p.m. on Feb. 22. Army and No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette make up the remainder of the field.