Eleven Wildcats named to all-LSC team
5/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Eleven Wildcats named all-LSC South
Maynard nabs league's top pitching honor
ABILENE -- Eleven ACU Wildcats were named all-Lone Star Conference South Division on Monday, including sophomore pitcher Ben Maynard who garnered the league's top pitching honor.
Eight Wildcats were named to the first team, including Maynard, whose 9-1 record and 3.38 ERA earned LSC South Division co-Pitcher of the Year honors, along with Eastern New Mexico's Trevor Davis. Maynard, who was 6-2 last year as a freshman to earn second team all-LSC South honors, led ACU in strikeouts (67) and led the conference in complete games (4). He also had one shutout in 77 1/3 innings of work.
ACU's starting rotation -- which has been its bread-and-butter in a 41-win season -- was well-represented with Maynard and juniors Ben Brockman and Brandon Moore also on the first team. Brockman is 10-1 with a 2.99 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings of work, while Moore is 9-0 with a 4.75 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.
Those three pitchers have thrown the bulk of the innings this season for ACU, and it will be their performance next week at the NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament that will determine ACU's fate.
Pushing all the buttons for ACU in 2005 is head coach Britt Bonneau, who, in his ninth season at the helm, was named LSC South Division Coach of the Year for the third time (2001 and 2002). Bonneau led ACU to 41 regular-season wins, the most in school history, and a No. 6 national ranking. ACU is No. 2 in the NCAA Division II South Central Region poll, and is a virtual lock to make the tournament, which will be played May 12-15 at an undetermined location.
The other five Wildcats on the first team were all position players: senior first baseman Ryan Barker (.374, 3 HR, 48 RBI); senior centerfielder Cody Cure (.367, 1 HR, 47 RBI), junior shortstop Ruben Rivera (.413, 0 HR, 38 RBI), junior leftfielder Johnny Zepeda (.456, 3 HR, 4 RBI), and junior designated hitter Joel Wells (.350, 5 HR, 55 RBI).
Barker put together a spectacular regular season, breaking conference career records for both RBI (he has 187 going into the post-season) and doubles (he will have 57 when the regional tournament starts. Barker was among league leaders in runs (65) and hits (83).
Cure -- the LSC South Division Pre-Season Player of the Year -- also led ACU in doules with 26, tying a school single-season record. He was among league l eaders in runs scored (58), doubles and hits (81).
All Zepeda did in his first season as a Wildcat after transferring from American River Community College was lead the LSC in hitting a .456 while hitting three home runs and driving in 44 runners. Rivera hit .413 with 38 RBI, while Wells led the team with 55 RBI to go along with five home runs and a .350 batting average.
Catcher J-Bob Thomas (.353, 24 RBI), third baseman Brenan Herrera (.355, 4 HR, 48 RBI) and junior outfielder Chris Walsh (.303, 7 HR, 38 RBI) were all named to the second team.
