Southland Release FRISCO, Texas – After leading the Nicholls State University baseball team to its most Southland Conference wins in program history, Colonel head coach
Seth Thibodeaux garnered Southland Coach of the Year while senior
Taylor Byrd received pitcher of the year, as the league office announced Monday its all-conference teams and awards.
In addition to the two individual awards, the Colonels landed three players on the all-conference teams as Byrd received first-team honors, senior outfielder
Keith Cormier was named second team and sophomore pitcher
Grant Borne made third team. Senior shortstop
Leo Vargas was also recognized, earning honorable mention.
After leading the Colonels to a second-place regular-season finish, Thibodeaux was tabbed coach of the year to become the first Colonel head coach to receive the award. In conference play, Nicholls finished with a 21-9 record, obliterating the previous team-best of 15 wins. The team claimed eight series wins, including sweeps over Lamar, New Orleans and McNeese State. After a remarkable 12-win turnaround in conference play from a season ago, Nicholls is the first team in conference history to win more than 20 league games the season after posting single-digit conference wins. On the year, Thibodeaux led the Colonels to a 32-24 overall record, marking the first 30-win season since 1993 and the first winning campaign in 12 years.
Byrd, a native of Petal, Miss., was named the Southland's top pitcher as well as first-team after finishing the year with an 8-3 record. In the rankings, Byrd was second in the league in earned run average and strikeouts, posting a 1.92 ERA with 80 strikeouts. Twenty-four of his 80 strikeouts caught batters looking, which is the sixth highest in the conference. In 14 starts, the left-hander tossed 89.0 innings while allowing 19 earned runs, limiting opponents to a .246 batting average. Byrd allowed no earned runs in six of his outings, gave up just one home run on the year and had a season-high 11 strikeouts in the Colonels' 3-0 win over in-state rival ULM.
Cormier, a two-year starter in the outfield, landed on second-team after leading the Colonels with 43 RBIs while finishing second on the team with a .295 batting average. In 56 starts, Cormier had 22 multi-hit games, including four four-hit efforts, and 13 games with two or more RBIs. The Channelview, Texas native led the team with 13 doubles, a .406 slugging percentage and tied for the team-lead with two home runs. In conference play, Cormier hit .294 with seven doubles and 19 RBIs.
Borne was named third-team after notching the second-most wins in conference with an 8-2 record. A native of Baton Rouge, the sophomore lefty ranked third in the conference with 78 strikeouts, was tied for fourth with 25 looking strikeouts and ranked 11th in ERA (2.96). In 14 starts, Borne pitched a team-high 94.1 innings, holding opposing hitters to .244 average. Borne also logged an 11-strikeout outing, leading the Colonels to a 6-1 win over BYU.
Vargas rounded out the honorees, being named honorable mention after leading the team in batting with a .302 average. A native of Homestead, Fla., Vargas finished the year with 46 runs, 23 RBIs and tied for the team-lead with two homers. Vargas ranked among the NCAA leaders in sacrifice bunts, laying down 18 on the year. On the base paths, Vargas had a team-best 17 stolen bases.
The Colonels will open play on Wednesday in the Southland Conference Tournament, taking on McNeese State at 4 p.m. This year's tournament will be held in Conway, Ark. at Bear Stadium on the campus of Central Arkansas.
2014 Southland All-Conference Teams
First Team | | | |
Pos. | Name | University | Class | Hometown |
1B | Chayse Marion2 | McNeese State | Sr. | Red Deer, Alberta |
2B | Andrew Guillotte | McNeese State | Jr. | Moss Bluff, La. |
3B | Brandon Tierney | A&M-Corpus Christi | Sr. | Arlington, Texas |
SS | Sam Bumpers2 | Lamar | Sr. | Bourbornnais, Ill. |
OF | Tyler Boss | Oral Roberts | Sr. | Spring, Texas |
OF | Doug Votolato | Central Arkansas | Sr. | Flower Mound, Texas |
OF | Jackson Gooch2 | McNeese State | Sr. | Delta, British Columbia |
C | Anthony Azar3 | Sam Houston State | Sr. | The Woodlands, Texas |
DH | Mackenzie Handel | Stephen F. Austin | Sr. | Chandler, Ariz. |
P | Taylor Byrd | Nicholls | Sr. | Petal, Miss. |
P | Andro Cutura | Southeastern La. | Jr. | Pearl River, La. |
P | Pepe Gomez | Oral Roberts | Sr. | Tucson, Ariz. |
| | | | |
Second Team | | | |
Pos. | Name | University | Class | Hometown |
1B | Ryan O'Hearn | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Frisco, Texas |
2B | Matt Brandy | Oral Roberts | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. |
3B | Chase Daughdrill | Northwestern State | Jr. | Bossier City, La. |
SS | Jose Trevino2 | Oral Roberts | Jr. | Corpus Christi, Texas |
OF | Colt Atwood | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Katy, Texas |
OF | Jude Vidrine | Lamar | Sr. | Nederland, Texas |
OF | Keith Cormier | Nicholls | Sr. | Channelview, Texas |
C | Seth Spivey | Abilene Christian | Sr. | Brenham, Texas |
DH | Billy Sommers | McNeese State | So. | Moss Bluff, La. |
P | Matt Danton | A&M-Corpus Christi | Jr. | Conroe, Texas |
P | Tyler Eppler | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Navasota, Texas |
P | Adam Oller | Northwestern State | Fr. | Conroe, Texas |
| | | | |
Third Team | | | |
Pos. | Name | University | Class | Hometown |
1B | Caleb Dugas | Northwestern State | Jr. | Raymond, Miss. |
2B | Cody Stephens | A&M-Corpus Christi | Sr. | Concord, Calif. |
3B | Reed Seely | Lamar | Jr. | Baytown, Texas |
SS | Samuel Capielano | New Orleans | Fr. | River Ridge, La. |
OF | Andrew Godbold | Southeastern La. | Jr. | Oak Park, Ill. |
OF | Hayden Simerly | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Round Rock, Texas |
OF | Tyler Ware | A&M-Corpus Christi | Jr. | Omaha, Neb. |
C | Russell Vaughn | A&M-Corpus Christi | Sr. | Mesa, Ariz. |
DH | Kyle Markum | Lamar | Jr. | Beaumont, Texas |
P | Grant Borne | Nicholls | So. | Baton Rouge, La. |
P | Bryce Biggerstaff | Central Arkansas | Sr. | Sherwood, Ark. |
P | Jordan Romano | Oral Roberts | Jr. | Markham, Ontario |
2Two-Time All-Conference
3Three-Time All-Conference
Honorable Mention – First Base: Brandon Provost, Lamar. Second Base: Chris Townsend, Central Arkansas. Third Base: Carter Burgess, Sam Houston State. Shortstop: Corey Toups, Sam Houston State; Leo Vargas, Nicholls. Outfield: Jordan Lee, A&M-Corpus Christi; Jacob Middleton, Lamar; Jesse Hoover, UIW; Jordon McCoy, Houston Baptist; Ricardo Sanchez, Stephen F. Austin. Catcher: Jameson Fisher, Southeastern La. Designated Hitter: Daniel Midyett, Southeastern La. Pitchers: Jason Simms, Sam Houston State; Trevor Belicek, A&M-Corpus Christi; Geno Encina, UIW; Dillon Mangham, Stephen F. Austin; Guillermo Trujillo, Oral Roberts.
2014 Southland Conference Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Anthony Azar, Sam Houston State
Hitter of the Year: Sam Bumpers, Lamar
Pitcher of the Year: Taylor Byrd, Nicholls
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jordan Romano, Oral Roberts
Freshman of the Year: Adam Oller, Northwestern State
Newcomer of the Year: Andrew Godbold, Southeastern Louisiana
Utility Player of the Year: Curtis Jones, Houston Baptist
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: Seth Thibodeaux, Nicholls
