May 21, 2007
FRISCO - Lamar University, who won the East Division title with a 20-10 conference mark, placed a league-best four players on the 2007 All-Southland Conference first-team and two more Cardinals earned second-team honors Monday, in voting by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Earning first-team All-SLC honors for the Cardinals were Michael Ambort at catcher, Ryan Baker at second base, Erik Kanaby in the outfield and Brian Sisk at pitcher.
A junior from Rockville Centre, N.Y., Ambort is second on the team in hitting with a .380 average (7th in SLC) with 44 runs scored. He ranks third in the SLC in doubles (21), fourth in runs batted in (61), tied for fifth in home runs (11) and fifth in total bases (133). Ambort, who was a medical redshirt last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was the 2005 SLC hitter of the year and first-team All-SLC selection.
Kanaby, a senior from Houston, is second in the SLC in hitting with a .397 batting average and is tied for second in hits (85), tied for fifth in runs scored (54) and leads the SLC in on-base percentage (.496). Baker, a senior from Keller, Texas, is hitting .313 with 51 runs scored, 12 doubles, two home runs and 37 RBI.
Sisk, a junior from Henderson, Texas, leads the SLC with 11 wins (11-2) and has a 3.54 earned run average, which ranks 10th in the SLC. He has made 15 starts this season and has two complete-games, one shutout, with 71 strikeouts and 23 walks in 94.0 innings pitched.
Outfielder Collin DeLome and pitcher Allen Harrington were named to the All-SLC second team. DeLome, a junior from Buna, Texas, is third on the team in hitting with a .329 batting average. He leads the SLC in triples (7), is tied for third in runs scored (57), eighth in RBI (52) and sixth in total bases (130). He was the 2006 SLC player and hitter of the year, and was a first-team selection.
Harrington, a junior from Groves, Texas, is 8-4 with a 3.97 ERA. He has tossed a team-leading five complete-games with one shutout. In 15 starts this season, he has struck out 98 (3rd in SLC) and walked 26 in 102.0 innings pitched (5th in SLC), and is limiting opponents to a .256 batting average (10th in SLC).
Tim Erickson, a junior from Sour Lake, Texas, was named honorable mention All-SLC. He is 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA with seven saves, which is tied for fourth in the SLC. In 23 appearances, he has 41 strikeouts and 16 walks in 61.2 innings pitched, and is limiting opponents to a .239 batting average (6th in SLC).
Steven Hill of Stephen F. Austin was named SLC Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year. Hill leads the SLC in home runs (24), RBI (73) and total bases (179), and is hitting .390. Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State was named SLC Pitcher of the Year. He leads the SLC with 15 saves and a 1.33 ERA.
UTSA, who won the regular season title with a 24-6 league mark, but did not have a first-team performer, swept the remaining SLC specialty awards. Trent Lockwood was named SLC Newcomer of the Year and Tim Palincsar was named Freshman of the Year. Sherman Corbett was named Clay Gould Coach of the Year.
Lamar, who has a 33-23 overall record, is the No. 2-seed and will face No. 5-seed McNeese State Wednesday at 3 p.m. on the first day of the 2007 SLC Tournament at Brown-Stroud Field in Natchitoches, La. The other first day matchups are No. 1-seed UTSA playing No. 6-seed SFA at 11 a.m. and No. 3-seed Texas State playing No. 4-seed Sam Houston State at 7 p.m.
2007 All-Southland Conference Teams
First Team
1B - Steven Hill, SFA
2B - Ryan Baker, Lamar
3B - Bryan Cartie, McNeese
SS - Brandon Richey, NWLA
C - Michael Ambort, Lamar
DH - Karl Krailo, SHSU
OF - Charlie Kingery, McNeese
OF - Erik Kanaby, Lamar
OF - Bobby Verbick, SHSU
P - Luke Prihoda, SHSU
P - Justin Fiske, TXST
P - Brian Sisk, Lamar
Second Team
1B - David Wood, TXST
2B - James Keithley, UTSA
3B - Craig Nyborg, UCA
SS - Thomas Field, TXST
C - Zach Etheridge, UTSA
DH - Chase Burch, SLU
OF - Keith Stein, SHSU
OF - Collin DeLome, Lamar
OF - Michael Rockett, UTSA
P - Jacob Howard, SHSU
P - Allen Harrington, Lamar
P - Josh Blakley, UTSA
Third Team
1B - Trent Lockwood, UTSA
2B - Richard Imhoff, SLU
3B - Ryan Saltzgaber, UTSA
SS - Kyle Rudy, UTA
C - Joe Hulett, McNeese
DH - Tim Palincsar, UTSA
OF - Chase Williams, TAMU-CC
OF - Aaron Garza, TXST
OF - Jared Pitts, SFA
P - Jason Baca, TXST
P - Erich Lehmann, SFA
P - Lance Luetge, SFA
Honorable Mention: 1B - Jason Graham, TAMU-CC. 2B - Casey Guest, TXST; Clint Mann, SHSU; Noel Trevino, SFA. 3B - Ty Summerlin, SLU. SS - Byan Gerondale, TAMU-CC; Jeremy Holzbach, SHSU; Shon Landry, McN. C - Kevin Croft, SFA. DH - Paul Goldschmidt, TXST; Danny Slinkman, UTA; Chris Widner, TAMU-CC. OF - Zach Gardner, SFA; Chris Houk, UCA; Mitch Ponza, UTSA; Todd Sebek, SHSU. P - Josh Black, SLU; Derek Blacksher, McN; Chris Denton, McN; Tim Erickson, LU; Jimmy Heard, NWLA; Jesse Marshall, SHSU; Josh Ruffin, UTSA; Matt Whitaker, UCA.
Player of the Year: Steven Hill, SFA
Hitter of the Year: Steven Hill, SFA
Pitcher of the Year: Luke Prihoda, SHSU
Newcomer of the Year: Trent Lockwood, UTSA
Freshman of the Year: Tim Palincsar, UTSA
Coach of the Year: Sherman Corbett, UTSA
