Rockett, Corbett collect Southland Conference yearly honors on Tuesday

FRISCO ? Three days after wrapping its most successful regular season in school history and second consecutive Southland Conference Regular Season Championship, the postseason accolades for UTSA (38-17, 22-8 SLC) began to roll in on Tuesday.

Junior center fielder Michael Rockett led a total of nine Roadrunners selected to the all-conference teams by being named the circuit's Player of the Year and eighth-year skipper Sherman Corbett was tabbed SLC Clay Gould Coach of the Year for the second campaign in a row, as announced by the league office.

Rockett, who became just the second player in school history to earn the conference's top award (2002 third-team All-American Mark Schramek is the other), has had a year to remember this season. The Sugar Land native, who earned first-team All-SLC honors this year after back-to-back second-team accolades his first two campaigns, is hitting .362 with 56 runs scored (t-No. 5 UTSA history), a school-record and SLC-best 25 doubles (t-No. 6 NCAA), five triples (t-No. 3 UTSA history), 10 home runs and 68 RBIs (No. 2 UTSA history). A member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's (NCBWA) Dick Howser Trophy mid-season watch list (nation's top player), he also has a league-leading 149 total bases, a .642 slugging percentage and nine stolen bases. The 2006 Freshman All-American leads the Roadrunners in batting average, hits (84), doubles, triples, multi-RBI games (19) and total bases in addition to ranking second in runs, multi-hit contests (24), homers, RBIs, slugging percentage and steals. He was named Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on March 3 after hitting for the second cycle in school history on March 1 against Sacred Heart. Not only did he accomplish the feat in just four innings, but Rockett also had a career-high six RBIs in the 16-2 victory at Wolff Stadium. One of the top defensive center fielders in the country, he has made several highlight-reel catches in addition to recording a team-high six outfield assists, all of which have resulted in runners being gunned down at the plate. Rockett was just as productive during the 30-game conference slate, posting a .370 batting average to go along with 31 runs, 14 two-baggers, three triples, five homers, 36 RBIs and five stolen bases.

Corbett has led his squad to a 38-17 overall record, a 22-8mark in SLC play and the league's first back-to-back regular season titles in four years (Lamar 2003-04).The Roadrunners have posted three consecutive 30-win campaigns for the first timein school history and will tie the program's 14-year-old record (39 in 1994) for victories in a season with their next triumph. UTSA has posted three wins against ranked teams (No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 22, No. 29 Baylor on April 2, No. 25 Texas on April 23) this year and owns six against programs currently ranked among the RPI's top 50, four of which have come on the road. Their 22 league victories were bolstered by five weekend series sweeps [McNeese State (March 14-16), Northwestern State (April 11-13), Stephen F. Austin (April 18-20), Sam Houston State (April 25-27), Nicholls State (May 9-11)]. The winningest coach in school history, he is one victory shy of 250 for his career, has coached four of the program's six 30-win squadsin school history and now has mentored 42 All-SLC players, including eight first-teamers,and seven yearly award winners.

UTSA landed a league-high four players on the second team for the third year in a row.

Senior first baseman Trent Lockwood, the 2007 SLC Newcomer of the Year and '08 Brooks Wallace Award (nation's top player) mid-season watch list member, has followed up his spectacular junior campaign with yet another solid season at the plate. The Groesbeck native is hitting .322 with 22 doubles (t-No. 3 UTSA history), 13 home runs and UTSA-record and SLC-leading 71 RBIs (t-No. 13 NCAA). A third-team selection a year ago, he also owns a squad-best .648 slugging percentage, a .442 on-base percentage on the strength of a team-high 43 walks (t-No. 5 UTSA history) and has reached base by hit or walk in all but four of the 54 games he has appeared in this season. Lockwood, who earned Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors twice in a three-week span this year (March 31, April 14), set the program's single-game RBIs mark with nine in the 27-4 victory against Prairie View A&M on March 26 and also tied the home runs (three) and runs scored (five) records in that contest. In fact, he has five games of four or more RBIs to his credit this year. Lockwood was even more dangerous in league play, posting a .371 batting average with 14 two-baggers, eight long balls and a conference-best 44 RBIs to go along with a .466 on-base percentage, 22 free passes and a whopping .752 slugging average.

Junior shortstop James Keithley, a second-team honoree at second base last season, made the transition to shortstop this year and continued to post staggering numbers out of the lead-off spot in the lineup. The San Antonio native is hitting .355 with a UTSA-record and league-high 70 runs (t-No. 10 NCAA) scored this season to go along with 16 doubles, a pair of triples, five homers and 29 RBIs. He also owns a squad-best 27 multi-hit performances, has walked 25 times and reached base at a .422 clip, registered a .509 slugging percentage and swiped a team-leading 14 bases. Keithley hit safely in a school-record 27 games from March 8-April 20, which is among the top 10 hitting streaks nationally this year, and has recorded at least one safety in 48 of the 54 tilts he has played this season. His hot-hitting ways carried over to the conference campaign, as he hit .366 with 10 doubles, two triples, three bombs and 16 RBIs in addition to leading the league with 42 runs.

Sophomore designated hitter Tim Palincsar proved his 2007 Freshman All-America campaign was no fluke, again posting outstanding statistics out of the two-hole. The College Station native, who was a third-teamer a year ago, hit safely in 11 of his first dozen games to open the season and never looked back. He currently owns a .347 batting average and .460 on-base percentage, ranks second on the team with 56 runs scored (t-No. 5 UTSA history) and 41 walks and also has stroked 14 doubles, a triple and eight homers to go along with 52 RBIs. Palincsar, Rockett and Lockwood, the Roadrunners' 2-3-4 hitters, have combined to produce 48 percent (191) of the team's 396 RBIs this year. He was a .321 hitter with eight doubles, a triple, five long balls and 25 RBIs in league action. Palincsar also drew 23 base on balls and reached base 44 percent of the time.

Sophomore right-handed closer Zach Calhoon ? a NCBWA Stopper of the Year candidate ? has been the league's most dominant closer, saving a UTSA-record and conference-leading 13 games (in 15 chances). That mark also ranks in a fourth-place tie nationally. The Spring native, who saved his first 10 chances on the season, owns a 3-1 record and 1.45 ERA in his 25 games out of the bullpen. He has allowed just 21 hits (.159 BAA) and struck out 51 in 37.1 innings, not allowed an earned run in 20 of his appearances and won or saved 42 percent (16) of the Roadrunners' 38 victories this year. Calhoon has pitched more than an inning in six of his saves and tossed a career-high five frames in winning UTSA's 11-9, 12-inning contest at Houston on April 30. He set the program's all-time mark on April 4 at Southeastern Louisiana with his 12th career save and since has stretched that record to 19. Calhoon saved a league-high 11 contests in SLC action, which accounted for exactly half of the team's 22 victories, and also went 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 29 punchouts in 21 innings of work.

A pair of Roadrunners ? sophomore third baseman Ryan Rummel and senior right-handed starter Bradley Chovanec ? were third-team honorees.

In his first full season as a starter, Rummel has hit .307 with a dozen doubles, four homers and 29 RBIs. The Uvalde native also has walked 18 times and posted a .380 on-base percentage. He has started 50 times this year and the team has posted a 34-16 (.680) record in those contests. In conference play, Rummel recorded a .323 batting average with eight two-baggers, three home runs and 17 RBIs.

Chovanec, the league's only hurler to earn SLC Pitcher of the Week honors two times this season, has had a solid final campaign in navy blue and orange, tying for the league lead with nine wins (t-No. 15 NCAA/t-No. 2 UTSA history) and pacing the conference with a pair of shutouts. The Burton native, who sports a 4.82 ERA, also is second in the circuit with 93.1 innings pitched and third with three complete games. The 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI selection owns a sterling 59-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio (better than 3-to-1) and is tied for second on the team with five quality starts. Six of his wins came in SLC play, as did two of his complete games and one of his shutouts.

The Roadrunners also had a pair of honorable mention selections in senior catcher Zach Etheredge and junior left-handed starter Kris Ruepke.

Etheredge owns a .250 batting average with 11 doubles, a triple, four homers and 30 RBIs in his final campaign. The Boerne native once again has provided steady defense behind the plate, not allowing one passed ball, committing just four errors (.989 fielding percentage) and throwing out 22.2 percent of would-be base stealers. He was a .248 hitter in league play with seven doubles, one triple, a homer and 16 RBIs.

Ruepke has overcome a rough start to his first season as a Roadrunner and posted a 6-2 record with a 4.73 ERA, two complete games and a shutout in 13 games (11 starts). A winner in his last five decisions ? he has not lost since March 17 against No. 10 Texas ? the Adel, Iowa, native has racked up five quality starts, limited opposing hitters to a .257 batting average and struck out 35 in 72.1 innings. Inserted into the weekend rotation on April 13 at Northwestern State, Ruepke was one of the most effective starters in conference play, posting a perfect 4-0 mark with a 2.91 ERA, both his complete games and a three-hit shutout against Stephen F. Austin on April 20 that netted him SLC Pitcher of the Week accolades. The opposition hit just .231 off him in his seven league seven appearances (six starts).

All told, the Rodrunners have had 18 players named to the All-SLC teams the past two seasons (one first team, eight second team, five third team, four honorable mention).

Top-seeded UTSA opens SLC Tournament play at 4 p.m. on Wednesday when it squares off against No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (22-31-1) at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville.

2008 All-Southland Conference Teams
First Team
C - Anthony Jones, Northwestern State
1B - Paul Goldschmidt, Texas State
2B - Adam Witek, Texas State
3B - Seth Hammock, Sam Houston State
SS - Thomas Field, Texas State
OF - Kevin Crabtree, Stephen F. Austin
OF - Michael Rockett, UTSA
OF - Keith Stein, Sam Houston State
DH - Bobby Verbick, Sam Houston State
P - Tim Erickson, Lamar
P - Wade Miliey, Southeastern Louisiana
P - Brian Sisk, Lamar

Second Team
C - Stephen Flora, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
1B - Trent Lockwood, UTSA
2B - Josh Huffman, Central Arkansas
3B - Lance Loftin, Texas State
SS - James Keithley, UTSA
OF- Todd Sebek, Sam Houston State
OF - Michael Choice, UT Arlington
OF - Chase Wheaton, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
DH - Tim Palinscar, UTSA
P - Zach Calhoon, UTSA
P - Omar Gutierrez, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
P - Zach Tritz, Texas State

Third Team
C - Taylor Freeman, McNeese State
1B - Mike Jaworski, Northwestern State
2B - Chase Lyles, Northwestern State
3B - Ryan Rummel, UTSA
SS - Ty Summerlin, Southeastern Louisiana
OF - Chris Houk, Central Arkansas
OF - Tyler Link, Lamar
OF - Chase Williams, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
DH - Justin O’Neal, Northwestern State
DH - Danny Slinkman, UT Arlington
P - Bradley Chovanec, UTSA
P - Mike Hart, Texas State
P - Jimmy Heard, Northwestern State

Honorable Mention1B?David McLeod, UT Arlington; 1B?Steven Tucker, Lamar; 2B?Brian Taylor, Lamar; 2B?Jamie Rohlmeier, Sam Houston State; 3B?Justin Roland, Stephen F. Austin; SS?Travis Dunson, Lamar; C?Zach Etheredge, UTSA; C?Ben Theriot, Texas State; OF?Elliott Babcock, Texas State; OF?Cass Hargis, Southeastern Lousiana; OF?Laurn Randell, Texas State ; P?Clayton Cooper, Northwestern State; P ? Reece Cross, Central Arkansas; P?Dallas Gallant, Sam Houston State; P?Kris Ruepke, UTSA; P?Brent Varnado, Southeastern Louisiana.

Player of the Year: Michael Rockett, UTSA
Hitter of the Year: Paul Goldschmidt, Texas State
Pitcher of the Year: Tim Erickson, Lamar
Newcomer of the Year: Stephen Flora, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Freshman of the Year: Michael Choice, UT Arlington
Coach of the Year: Sherman Corbett, UTSA