May 23, 2006
Texas A&M infielder Jose Salazar was named the Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player and Jason Meyer earned the C.E. ?Pat? Olsen Most Outstanding Pitcher award to headline the annual team awards as selected by the baseball coaching staff.
Salazar, a senior transfer from Dallas, Texas, also earned the Loraine B. and William B. ?Breezy? Breazeale RBI Leader award. Salazar led the Aggies in most offensive categories by hitting .308 with 24 RBI in his only season at Texas A&M. Defensively, he made only 10 errors in 246 chances from his positions of shortstop and second base.
Meyer, a junior from Abilene, Texas, also earned the Olsen Most Outstanding Pitcher Award in 2004 and finished the 2006 season with an ERA of 2.90. He allowed only 65 hits in 77 2/3 innings of mound work, while striking out 58, walking only 22, and holding opponents to a miniscule .230 batting average. Meyer started the season by appearing in 14 games out of the bullpen and ended the year with nine starts.
Kyle Colligan earned the Wally Moon Award, which is given to the player who shows the most improvement from the beginning of the year in September to the conclusion of the season. Colligan, a true freshman from Ft. Bend, Texas, was scheduled to redshirt but was willingly called into duty after a rash of injuries depleted the A&M outfield. He answered the call by hitting .292 with six doubles, three triples, three home runs and 23 RBI in only 33 games.
Seniors Hart Hering and Ben Brockman earned the prestigious Marion Pugh Spirit Award. Hering and Brockman were instrumental to the team unity and provided valuable leadership on and off the field.
Hering, a senior from Waco, Texas, set a single-season A&M record with 32 appearances out of the bullpen. He finished the year with an ERA of 2.81 while collecting three saves. Hering allowed just 27 hits in 41 2/3 innings, while striking out 36 and walking 16.
Brockman, a senior transfer from Katy, Texas, delivered the gutsiest performance of the year and showed character and courage all season for the Aggies. In his last year of eligibility, Brockman decided to delay season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow to potentially get a chance to pitch. His arm was able to hold together for four one-hit innings of relief against Sam Houston to earn the win. He appeared in three games and will have Tommy John surgery this summer.