| Lance Brown | Brett Aguilar | Ryan Hutson |
FRISCO — The Southland Conference released its preseason polls on Tuesday and senior third baseman Lance Brown and junior designated hitter Brett Aguilar were named to the league's first team, while junior second baseman Ryan Hutson was tabbed to the second team.
Brown, who bounced back from a back injury that forced him to miss all but five games as a junior, earned first-team All-Southland honors a year ago after hitting .372 with 27 extra-base hits and 50 runs scored. The Richland Hills native started 54 games, 53 of which came at the hot corner (the other was at shortstop), and his batting average and six triples ranked fifth and third, respectively, on the program’s single-season lists. He added 17 doubles, four home runs and 40 RBIs to go along with nine stolen bases. Brown had 27 multi-hit performances, including a quartet of four-hit games, reached base at a .422 clip and registered a .553 slugging percentage (125 total bases). He finished the season on a strong note with 13 multi-hit contests over his final 16 games and hit .467 (35-for-75) during that stretch with six doubles, five triples, three homers and 22 RBIs. Brown, who is slated to slide over to shortstop this spring, also registered the third cycle in program history in the Roadrunners' 16-5 victory at Texas-Pan American on April 21.
Aguilar is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he hit .304 with 11 doubles, five homers and 29 RBIs. The San Antonio native also scored 35 runs, walked 25 times and recorded a .425 on-base percentage to go along with a .528 slugging percentage (66 total bases). A starter in 15 of the Birds' final 17 games last spring, Aguilar reached base in all but one contest during that stretch, posting a .333 batting average (23-for-60) with 20 runs, eight doubles, all five of his long balls and 18 RBIs. He was just as strong in league tilts, as he hit .329 with 24 runs, seven doubles, five homers and 23 RBIs in addition to reaching base at a .430 clip and posting a .608 slugging percentage.
A third-team All-Southland Conference selection last spring, Hutson turned into one of the circuit's top power hitters in 2009 and is the conference's top returnee in home runs (17) and slugging percentage (.719). The Round Rock native played in 48 games, starting 47 (46 at 2B/1 at DH), and hit .347 with the third-most homers in school history and 43 RBIs. He also stroked 12 doubles and a pair of triples in addition to crossing the plate 43 times. Hutson drew 22 walks and was hit by seven pitches, which helped him reach base at a .431 clip, and also recorded 128 total bases. He finished the campaign on a tear, hitting .480 (25-for-52) with a dozen homers and 25 RBIs over his final 13 games. He left the park in each of his final five contests and in eight of the final 13 overall.
UTSA, which finished third in the league a year ago with a 20-12 record, was picked fifth in both the coaches' and sports information directors' rankings. Texas State is the consensus choice to defend their league title.
The Roadrunners open the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 20, when they host Houston Baptist at 2 p.m.