SLU's Schwaner is Southland Baseball Player of Year
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Junior third baseman Taylor Schwaner is the Southland Conference Baseball Player of the Year. The league announced seven individual awards and three all-conference teams Tuesday. Additionally, an all-defensive team was named for the first time. The Southland’s head coaches and sports information directors voted for the selections.
Sam Houston State’s Heath Donica is the Pitcher of the Year and McNeese slugger Shane Selman is the Hitter of the Year. The Cowboys’ head coach, Justin Hill, who led his team to the conference’s regular-season title, claims the Clay Gould Award as the coach of the year.
Houston Baptist’s JT Newton is the Relief Pitcher of the Year, while another right-hand pitcher, Sam Houston State’s Hayden Wesneski, is the Freshman of the Year.
The Newcomer of the Year award goes to Stephen F. Austin first baseman Josh Evans, who is leading the league in hitting with a 399 batting average. Evans has 57 hits in 49 games this season.
Schwaner, from New Orleans (Holy Cross High School), led the league in RBIs with 68. His 41 RBIs in league play also led the Southland, while his 13 home runs on the year places him second in the conference. Schwaner hit .321 with 61 hits in the regular season. His .637 slugging percentage is third best in the league.
Sam Houston’s Donica will add a Pitcher of the Year award to his trophy case, which already includes a 2016 all-conference selection and the 2016 Southland Baseball Tournament MVP. The senior right-hander from Corsicana, Texas (Corsicana High School and Navarro Junior College), leads the league with a stingy 1.82 ERA. His eight wins place him in a tie for the second most this season.
Selman, part of an explosive McNeese offense, has clubbed a league-leading 14 home runs to go with 10 round trippers in conference games, which also leads the Southland. Selman has a .321 batting average.
Newton, a sophomore, leads the league in conference play with a 1.77 ERA. Overall, he holds an ERA of 2.30 in 47 innings worked, allowing just 12 earned runs. The right-hander has surrendered only two home runs and 11 walks.
Freshman award winner Wesneski, from Cypress Texas and Cy Fair High School, has contributed greatly to a stout Bearkats’ pitching staff, picking up five wins in conference action (tied for 10
th best). The right-hander’s nine walks in conference play is the fourth fewest in the league.
Newcomer Josh Evans, who is from Ponca City, Okla., and comes to the Lumberjacks from Northern Oklahoma College, leads the league in batting average at .396 and slugging at a .660 clip.
Hill guided McNeese to its fourth regular season Southland Conference championship in program history after being picked fourth in conference pre-season polls. His 36-18 record (22-8 in conference) this year gives Hill four-straight years of 30-win seasons.
Northwestern State’s Fry makes it three-for-three in terms of all-conference selections. The Colleyville, Texas (Grapevine High School), product is a second team selection this year after finishing the regular season in the top 10 overall in conference in the following categories: Doubles - 21 (tie for 3
rd); slugging percentage - .591 (6
th); and home runs – 10 (tie for 8
th).
The following players are two-time Southland All-Conference selections:
- First team in 2017: Joe Provenzo, Mcneese; Bryce Johnson, Sam Houston State; Heath Donica, Sam Houston State; Mac Scereoler, Southeastern Louisiana.
- Second team in 2017: Carson Crites, Southeastern Louisiana; Zac Michener, Stephen F. Austin.
- Third team in 2017: Bryndan Arredondo, Lamar; Reid Russell, Lamar.
First Team All-Conference selection Johnson and second team pick Cole Stapler from Nicholls headline the conference’s All-Defensive Team, added this year.
Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Taylor Schwaner, Southeastern Louisiana
Hitter of the Year: Shane Selman, McNeese
Pitcher of the Year: Heath Donica, Sam Houston State
Relief Pitcher of the Year: JT Newton, Houston Baptist
Freshman of the Year: Hayden Wesneski, Sam Houston State
Newcomer of the Year: Josh Evans, Stephen F. Austin
Clay Gould Award - Coach of the Year: Justin Hill, McNeese
2017 All-Southland Conference Baseball Teams
First Team
Pos. Name University Class Hometown
1B Hunter Strong Central Arkansas So. Sheridan, Ark.
2B Joe Provenzano
2 McNeese Jr. Downers Grove, Ill.
3B Taylor Schwaner Southeastern Louisiana Jr. New Orleans, La.
SS Taylor Beene Sam Houston Sr. Humble, Texas
C Robie Rojas Sam Houston Sr. Jersey Village, Texas
DH Josh Evans Stephen F. Austin Jr. Ponca City, Okla.
OF Shane Selman McNeese So. Lake Charles, La.
OF Bryce Johnson
2 Sam Houston State Jr. Cypress, Texas
OF Russell Crippen Abilene Christian Sr. Snohomish, Wash.
P Heath Donica
2 Sam Houston State Sr. Corsicana, Texas
P Mac Sceroler
2 Southeastern Louisiana Jr. Denham Springs, La.
P Shawn Semple New Orleans Jr. Swedesboro, N.J.
U Ricky Ramirez McNeese Sr. Deer Park, Texas
Second Team
Pos. Name University Class Hometown
1B David Fry
3 Northwestern State Jr. Colleyville, Texas
2B Carson Crites
2 Southeastern Louisiana Sr. Amarillo, Texas
3B Matt Gallier McNeese Sr. Lake Charles, La.
SS Tyler Depreta-Johnson Houston Baptist So. Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
C John Cable New Orleans Jr. Roswell, Ga.
DH Robin Adames Lamar So. Bronx, N.Y.
OF Cutter McDowell Lamar Sr. Pearland, Texas
OF Zac Michener
2 Stephen F. Austin Sr. Kennedale, Texas
OF Robbie Podorsky McNeese Jr. Prairieville, La.
P Cole Stapler Nicholls Sr. Prairieville, La.
P Bryan Warzek New Orleans So. Clifton Park, N.J.
P JT Newton Houston Baptist So. Bangs, Texas
U Drew Avans Southeastern Louisiana Jr. Alabaster, Ala.
Third Team
Pos. Name University Class Hometown
1B Trey Silvers Lamar Sr. Manvel, Texas
2B Nick Ramos Stephen F. Austin Sr. Plano, Texas
3B Andrew Fregia Sam Houston State So. Liberty, Texas
SS Brooks Balisterri Central Arkansas Sr. Benton, Ark.
C Bryndan Arredondo
2 Lamar Sr. Lubbock, Texas
DH Luis Trevino Abilene Christian Jr. Mission, Texas
OF Reid Russell
2 Lamar Sr. Longview, Texas
OF Clayton Harp Sam Houston State So. El Campo, Texas
OF Orynn Veillon New Orleans So. Lafayette, La.
P Will Vest Stephen F. Austin Jr. Houston, Texas
P Trent Fontenot McNeese Sr. Nederland, Texas
P Corey Gaconi Southeastern Louisiana So. Metairie, La.
U Grant Devore Lamar Jr. Dallas, Texas
3 Three-time all-conference selection
2 Two-time all-conference selection
All-Defensive Team
1B Hunter Strong Central Arkansas So. Sheridan, Ark.
2B Samuel Capielano New Orleans Sr. River Ridge, La.
3B Gage Teer Nicholls Jr. Brandon, Miss.
SS Tyler Depreta-Johnson Houston Baptist So. Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
C Alex Tucker Nicholls Sr. Denham Springs, La.
LF Drew Avans Southeastern Louisiana Jr. Alabaster, Ala.
CF Bryce Johnson
2 Sam Houston State Jr. Cypress, Texas
RF Riley McKnight Sam Houston State So. Klein, Texas
P Cole Stapler Nicholls Sr. Prairieville, La.
All-Conference Honorable Mention
2B Samuel Capielano, New Orleans; Lance Miles, Sam Houston State
3B Owen Magee, New Orleans
SS Cullen Jozwiak, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Joey Morales, Nicholls; Aaron Palmer, New Orleans
C: Dustin Duhon, McNeese; Alex Tucker, Nicholls
DH: Blake Chisolm, Sam Houston; Hezekiah Randolph, New Orleans
OF: Drew Avans, Southeastern Louisiana; Brandon Brintz, Houston Baptist; Tristan Clark, New Orleans; Keaton Presley, Central Arkansas; Derek Scott, Abilene Christian; Dalton Stark, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
P: Grant Anderson, McNeese; Rhett Deaton, McNeese; Tanner Driskill, Lamar; Tyler Gray, Central Arkansas Brandon Hagerla, Central Arkansas; Mike Hanchar, Nicholls; Carson Lance, Lamar; Tyler Starks, Stephen F. Austin; Christian Thames, Houston Baptist; Hayden Wesneski, Sam Houston
The
2017 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament begins Wednesday at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. The winner of the eight-team double elimination tournament will earn the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship.