Six Roadrunners named to All-Southland Conference teams

SAN ANTONIO ? Another successful regular season by the UTSA baseball team has resulted in six players being named to the All-Southland Conference teams, the league office announced on Monday.

Leading the way for the Roadrunners were senior All-America center fielder Michael Rockett and junior third baseman Lance Brown, both of whom were named to the first team. Senior left fielder Jose Hernandez earned second-team accolades, while sophomore second baseman Ryan Hutson collected third-team honors. Rounding out the half dozen award winners were senior shortstop Marshal Davis and junior pitcher Red Patterson, who both were honorable mention selections.

Rockett was a first-team honoree for the second consecutive season and he became just the second player in program history to earn such honors (Jeff Juarez, 1998-99). A four-time all-conference selection (he was a second teamer in 2006-07), the Sugar Land native is leading UTSA in batting average (career-high .396), runs scored (60), hits (school-record 95), multi-hit games (32) and total bases (SLC-leading 157). He also has 16 doubles, two triples, a career-best 14 home runs and 54 RBIs to go along with 13 stolen bases and seven outfield assists. Rockett, who has recorded a hit in all but three games this spring, also has three hitting streaks of 14 games or more, including a current 18-gamer that is one short of a career high. He has broken league career records for at-bats (929), hits (333), doubles (63), RBIs (206) and total bases (527), as well as UTSA all-time marks for games started (215) and runs (197) this year. Rockett was just as impressive in conference games, hitting .390 with 37 runs, nine doubles, a triple, six homers, 31 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

Brown bounced back from last year's back injury that forced him to redshirt after playing just a half dozen contests. The Richland Hills native owns a .368 batting average to go along with 49 runs, 16 doubles, six triples (No. 3 on UTSA's single-season chart), four home runs, 38 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He also has racked up a quartet of four-hit performances, has registered a .557 slugging percentage and is reaching base at a .419 clip. A preseason honorable mention pick prior to being injured last spring, Brown posted a .362 batting average in SLC play with 17 extra-base hits (9 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR) and 26 RBIs.

The selections of Rockett and Brown to the league's top squad exceeds the number UTSA had in its back-to-back SLC Regular Season Championship campaigns of 2007-08 and is the program's most in three years.

Hernandez, meanwhile, was honored for his outstanding year, a season that has seen him hit .360 with 57 runs, 24 doubles (No. 2 on UTSA's single-season ledger), a triple, 15 home runs, a team-high 57 RBIs and nine stolen bases. The Anaheim Hills, Calif., native has accumulated 142 total bases, which translates to a squad-leading .721 slugging percentage, and he also has walked 36 times and been hit by 11 pitches, giving him a club-best .476 on-base percentage. In fact, Hernandez has reached base by hit, walk or hit by pitch in all but one contest this season. He tied a school record with three home runs, including a two-run walk-off shot, on March 6 against Southeastern Louisiana and also had a career-high six RBIs in that tilt, one of a team-leading 15 multi-RBI efforts this spring. Hernandez was even more of a force in league action, hitting .376 with 37 runs, 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and an SLC-best 94 total bases (.752 SLG%).

Hutson has made a quantum leap in his second year as a Roadrunner. The Round Rock native is the owner of a .343 batting average and his 17 home runs not only lead the SLC, but he is just one homer shy of tying the school record shared by Kent Wallis (1998) and Jeff Juarez (1999). Hutson also has 12 doubles, a pair of triples and 128 total bases, which gives him a .719 slugging percentage. He enters this week's conference tournament with homers in five consecutive games and has launched a dozen in his last 13 outings, including a quartet of two-homer performances. Hutson was incredible in SLC play this spring, posting a .360 batting average and league-leading 13 bombs in addition to 27 RBIs.

Davis arguably has had his top season in this, his final campaign in navy blue and orange. The Conroe native has posted a .314 batting average with 39 runs, nine doubles, five triples, the first two homers of his career and a career-high 38 RBIs, including a pair of four-RBI performances. He was even better in circuit action, recording a .336 batting average with eight doubles, four triples, a homer, 24 RBIs and 30 walks.

Patterson has posted a 5-3 record and 4.97 ERA in 87 innings this spring, which covers 13 starts. The Frisco native ranks second in the league with 80 strikeouts, a mark that is the sixth-best total in UTSA history. He also leads the pitching staff with a half dozen quality starts and has gone at least six innings 10 times, including a streak of four consecutive eight-frame performances from April 3-24. The right-hander's top performance was a four-hit shutout at Sam Houston State on March 20 and he also struck out a season-best nine in a nine-inning start at Nicholls on April 24.

The Roadrunners, who earned the third seed at this week's SLC Tournament with their 20-12 league mark, are back in action at 9 a.m. on Wednesday against No. 6 Northwestern State (26-24). Patterson (5-3, 4.97 ERA) will face Demons righty Ryan Zimmerman (3-3, 5.57) and the game can be heard for free at goUTSA.com.

2009 All-Southland Conference Teams   
First Team
C - Taylor Freeman, McNeese State

1B - Paul Goldschmidt, Texas State
2B - Braeden Riley, Sam Houston State
3B - Lance Brown, UTSA
SS - Shon Landry, McNeese State
OF - Michael Choice, UT Arlington
OF - Matt Otteman, UT Arlington
OF - Michael Rockett, UTSA
DH - Andrew Kainer, UT Arlington
P - Eric Harrington, Lamar

P - Kane Holbrooks, Texas State
P - Nathan Long, UT Arlington

Second Team
C - Ben Theriot, Texas State

1B - Nick Zaleski, Sam Houston State
2B - Brian Taylor, Lamar
3B  - Martin Parra, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
SS  - Jeremiah Sammy, Lamar
OF  - Spenser Dennis, Texas State
OF - Jose Hernandez, UTSA
OF - Tyler Sibley, Texas State
DH - Keith Prestridge, Texas State
P - Erich Lehmann, Stephen F. Austin
P - Ricky Testa, Lamar

P - Sean Weatherford, Sam Houston State

Third Team
C - Mark Wyatt, Sam Houston State
1B - Sean Meyers, Stephen F. Austin
2B - Ryan Hutson, UTSA
3B - Jonathan Yerby, Central Arkansas
SS - Trent Grondin, Northwestern State
OF - Bret Atwood, Texas State
OF - Tyler Link, Lamar
OF - Lee Orr, McNeese State
DH - Ryan Brauninger, McNeese State
P - Richard Folmer, Stephen F. Austin

P - Jimmy Heard, Northwestern State
P - Ryan Robinson, UT Arlington

Honorable Mention
C - Chad Comer, UT Arlington; Stephen Flora, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

1B - Justin O’Neal, Northwestern State
2B - Chase Lyles, Northwestern State
3B - Chris Dunkin, Lamar; Kyle Kubitza, Texas State; Joe Urtuzuastegui, Northwestern State
SS - Marshal Davis, UTSA; Tanner Hines, Stephen F. Austin; Jason Martinson, Texas State
OF - Zach Gardner, Stephen F. Austin; Sam Merrill, McNeese State; Chris Murrill, Nicholls; Dillon Smith, Central Arkansas
DH - Beau Snodgrass, Northwestern State
P - Brian Borski, Texas State; Ryan Boudreaux, Southeastern Louisiana; Chris Franklin, Southeastern Louisiana; Red Patterson, UTSA

Player of the Year: Paul Goldschmidt, Texas State   
Hitter of the Year: Paul Goldschmidt, Texas State
Pitcher of the Year: Kane Holbrooks, Texas State
Freshman of the Year: Eric Harrington, Lamar
Newcomer of the Year: Keith Prestridge, Texas State
Coach of the Year: Ty Harrington, Texas State