May 25, 2010
All-Big 12 Baseball Team (big12sports.com)
OKLAHOMA CITY - John Stilson highlighted seven Texas A&M honorees as the All-Big 12 Baseball teams were announced by the league on Tuesday.
Stilson was voted Newcomer of the Year by the league's head coaches, and was joined by teammate and fellow pitcher Barret Loux on the All-Big 12 first team. Shortstop Brodie Greene, catcher Joe Patterson and pitcher Michael Wacha were honorable mention selections.
"I'm happy for all these guys," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "It's nice that their hard work and effort was recognized by the other coaches in the Big 12. This team has battled through a lot this spring, and for these seven to get honored by the league says not only a lot about them as men and as players, but about all the guys surrounding them that make each other and the team better."
Stilson became the sixth Aggie to win the Newcomer of the Year award, joining Craig Kuzmic (1998), Scott Beerer (2003), David Newmann (2007), Brandon Hicks (2007) and Jose Duran (2008). The sophomore from Texarkana finished the regular season with a 7-1 record, a sparkling 0.98 ERA and a team-best nine saves. In just over 64 innings of work, Stilson fanned 95 hitters and held opponents to a .172 average. If the year ended today, his earned run average would rank second all-time on the school's single-season charts.
Loux, a junior from Houston, established himself as one of the best Friday night starters in not only the Big 12 but the nation in 2010. The right-hander finished the regular season with a 9-2 mark and a 2.53 ERA, and led the conference and ranked near the top nationally with 119 strikeouts. He fanned 10 or more hitters five times this spring, and tossed a complete-game shutout at Oklahoma State on May 14--the first of his career. At the last NCAA report, Loux not only ranked near the top nationally in strikeouts, but also in strikeouts per nine innings (12.03), hits allowed per nine innings (6.37) and ERA.
"Barret and John were big, big parts of our pitching staff this season," Childress said. "John getting named Newcomer of the Year is just a great tribute to how valuable he is to us. Barret has been one of the best Friday night guys in the country all year long, and I'm glad he got the recognition I think he deserves."
Greene, a senior from Bullard, was the only Aggie to start and appear in all 56 games. He was the team's "triple crown" winner in the regular season, pacing the squad with a .376 average, 10 home runs and 44 RBIs. Greene also led the squad in eight other offensive categories, had a team-high six game-winning RBIs and reached safely in all but four games this year. Greene was recognized on the All-Big 12 squad for the second consecutive season.
Gonzalez was again a tremendous force for Texas A&M behind the plate, starting 44 games and catching one of the country's best pitching staffs. His .305 average ranked fourth on the team, as did his 31 RBIs, while his seven home runs was second. Defensively, Gonzalez committed just one error all year (.996 fielding percentage) while throwing out 14 would-be base stealers and picking off three more runners.
In his first season in Aggieland, Juengel appeared in 45 games, ranking third on the team with a .346 batting average. The sophomore utility man started at four different positions this season and was tops on the team and sixth in the league with a .380 average in conference games.
"Brodie, Matt and Kevin were outstanding for us all season long and will continue to be into the postseason," Childress said. "They are all very, very deserving and such a big part of what we do."
Earning honorable mention all-conference accolades were senior designated hitter and first baseman Joe Patterson, and freshman pitcher Michael Wacha. Patterson, a native of Tulsa, ranks second on the team with a .364 batting average, and has blasted seven home runs, driven in 39 and swiped eight bases. Wacha, who hails from Texarkana, features a 2.41 ERA, a 7-2 record, and 87 strikeouts. He has seen action both as a starter and out of the bullpen.
"The fact that Joe and Michael got recognized as well says a lot about who they are," Childress said. "Michael had a great freshman year, and will continue to do so leading us into the Big 12 Tournament. Joe Patterson had a great start and is having maybe an even better finish. For him to turn that around says a lot about who he is as a man."
Wacha will take the mound Wednesday morning as the fourth-seeded Aggies (36-19-1) face No. 5-seed Texas Tech (27-27) in the opening game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. First pitch at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City is set for 9 a.m.