June 2, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M baseball team announced its annual award winners on Tuesday, as selected by members of the squad.
Sophomore catcher Kevin Gonzalez was chosen by his teammates as the Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player. An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, Gonzalez started 56 of A&M's 61 games behind the plate, catching 508 of the team's nearly 540 innings on the year. He hit .289 with 13 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 36 RBIs, but was an even bigger presence defensively. Gonzalez committed only two errors all year, threw out 18 runners and helped the Aggie pitching staff to a school-record 568 strikeouts.
Senior Luke Anders earned the Loraine B. and William B. "Breezy" Breazeale RBI Award after compiling a team-high 53 RBIs on the year. An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, the College Station native started every game at first base, ranked second on the squad with 13 home runs and compiled a .307 average. Anders' six game-winning RBIs tied for the team lead.
Sophomore lefty Brooks Raley was named the C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher for 2009. A native of Uvalde, Raley was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection as one of the nation's top two way players. He led the team with a 7-3 record and a 3.76 ERA, fanning 95 batters on the year and holding opposing hitters to a .237 average.
The Marion Pugh Spirit award, given to the player who is most instrumental to team unity and who provided valuable leadership both on and off the field, went to junior pitcher Tyler Dyer. A native of Deer Park, Dyer appeared in three games on the mound this spring, registering one hold, in his first season with the program.
Sophomore third baseman Caleb Shofner earned the Wally Moon Award, which is given to the player who shows the most improvement from September through the end of the season. Shofner made his first career start in the season opener and would start 54 more games during the season, ranking second on the team with a .348 average, launching seven home runs and driving in 42. He earned NCAA Regional all-tourney honors after hitting nearly .600 in the Aggies' three postseason games.
Texas A&M finished the season at 37-24, advancing to the NCAA tournament for the third straight season.
"These players should take an awful lot of pride in the journey they went through this year," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "They stayed together and gave it everything they had and, sure, they came up short and didn't reach the ultimate destination, but throughout the journey came pride. This team will look back and know what it takes to be a man and be a part of something bigger than themselves. They got nothing handed to them from the word go. They earned everything they got. This group gave us everything they had from August 25 until the last pitch of the year, and for that I'll forever be thankful. It was a fun bunch to coach."
TEXAS A&M BASEBALL AWARD WINNERS
Luke Anders Loraine B. and William B. "Breezy" Breazeale RBI Award
Tyler Dyer Marion Pugh Spirit Award
Kevin Gonzalez Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player
Brooks Raley C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher Award
Caleb Shofner Wally Moon Award