SLU's Schwaner is Southland Baseball Player of Year

SLU's Schwaner is Southland Baseball Player of Year

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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 10th 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 3rd); slugging percentage - .591 (6th); and home runs – 10 (tie for 8th).

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.