OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Eight members of the No. 13 Texas A&M baseball team were named to the All-Big 12 squad announced by the coaches of the league Tuesday.
“It is good to see our players get rewarded for their hard work,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “The players that were rewarded would be the first to give credit to the other members of this team. Every one of them put in a tremendous amount of work to improve themselves and this ballclub.”
Highlighting the team for the Aggies were three first-team selections. Senior pitcher Kyle Nicholson, junior utility player Blake Stouffer, and sophomore designated hitter Luke Anders were all named to the league’s most elite squad.
Senior second baseman Parker Dalton and junior shortstop Brandon Hicks were second-team selections, while junior outfielder Ben Feltner, senior catcher Craig Stinson, and junior pitcher David Newmann earned honorable mention.
In addition, Hicks and Newmann, both junior college transfers, were named Co-Big 12 Newcomers of the Year.
Nicholson led the Big 12 with an earned run average of 1.96 and had a record of 11-1 during the regular season. The College Station, Texas, native spent the first half of the season coming out of the bullpen, where he earned four saves. He has accumulated 94 strikeouts and walked just 18 hitters in 110.0 innings of work. Nicholson was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week three times this year.
Stouffer, from San Antonio, has seen time at third base, first base and the outfield this year. He is third in the Big 12 with a batting average of .391 and second in the Big 12 with 70 RBI. In addition, he has 18 doubles, eight home runs, and 18 stolen bases. Stouffer was named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice this year.
After spending last year as a situational left-hander out of the Aggies’ bullpen, Anders switched his focus this year to hitting. The native of College Station, finished the regular season with the fifth best batting average (.374) in the Big 12. He is tied for the team lead with 10 home runs and leads the team with a .640 slugging percentage.
Dalton, one of the nation’s best stories of the year, overcame surgery to remove a malignant melanoma on his back to have the best year of his five-year career at Texas A&M. The Houston native hit a career high .379 during the regular season after having a career average of .254 entering the year. He also contributed with five home runs, 35 RBI, and 17 stolen bases as the team’s nine-hole hitter.
Hicks made an immediate impact at shortstop and as the Aggies’ leadoff hitter after transferring from San Jacinto Junior College. The Houston native hit .344 with 10 home runs and 54 RBI. He led the team with 67 runs scored, was second on the team and in the Big 12 with 27 stolen bases and made just 16 errors in 309 chances.
Newmann transferred from San Jacinto College after the 2005 season, but was on the shelf in 2006 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He started a game in each of the Aggies’ 15 weekend series and finished the regular season with a 9-1 record and a 3.29 ERA. In 87 2/3 innings, he struck out 87 hitters and opponents hit him at just a .210 clip.
Stinson, a fifth-year senior from Cranston, R.I., also had the best year of his career, hitting .333 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. He also had 12 doubles and made just one error in 330 chances behind the plate. Stinson is scheduled to graduate with a degree in Agricultural Development in August.
Feltner, a speedy outfielder from Leander, Texas, led the Big 12 with 30 stolen bases in only 32 attempts. He hit .323 with 43 runs scored and 21 RBI.
The Aggies open play in the Big 12 Tournament Wednesday at 10 a.m. against Nebraska.
2007 ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kyle Russell, Texas, OF, So., Tomball, Texas/Tomball
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Adrian Alaniz, Texas, RHP, Jr., Sinton, Texas/Sinton
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Trevor Coleman, Missouri, C, Fr., Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs
CO-NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR
David Newmann, Texas A&M, LHP, Jr., Houston, Texas/San Jacinto JC
Brandon Hicks, Texas A&M, INF, Jr., Houston, Texas/San Jacinto JC
CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR
Tim Jamieson, Missouri
Augie Garrido, Texas
ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM
Name, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
Chance Wheeless, Texas 1B Jr. Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock
Tyler Mach, Oklahoma State 2B Sr. Kent, Wash./Edmonds CC
Beamer Weems, Baylor SS So. Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne
Bradley Suttle, Texas 3B So. Boerne, Texas/Boerne
Preston Clark, Texas C So. Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall
Corey Brown, Oklahoma State OF Jr. Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant
Ty Wright, Oklahoma State OF Sr. Tyler, Texas/Willis Point
Kyle Russell, Texas OF So. Tomball, Texas/Tomball
Jacob Priday, Missouri DH Jr. Sikeston, Mo./Sikeston
Luke Anders, Texas A&M DH So. College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated
Blake Stouffer, Texas A&M UTL Jr. San Antonio, Texas/Alamo Heights
Aaron Crow, Missouri RHP So. Wakarusa, Kan./Washburn Rural
Adrian Alaniz, Texas RHP Jr. Sinton, Texas/Sinton
Kyle Nicholson, Texas A&M RHP Sr. College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated
Daniel Edwards, Kansas State RP Jr. Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood
ALL-BIG 12 SECOND TEAM
Name, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
Rebel Ridling, Oklahoma State 1B Jr. Sentinel, Okla./Midland JC
Parker Dalton, Texas A&M 2B Sr. Houston, Texas/Memorial
Brandon Hicks, Texas A&M SS Jr. Houston, Texas/San Jacinto College
Matt Mangini, Oklahoma State 3B Jr. Cary, N.C./North Carolina State
Jackson Williams, Oklahoma C Jr. Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow
Byron Wiley, Kansas State OF So. Tomball, Texas/Tomball
Evan Frey, Missouri OF Jr. Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville
Roger Kieschnick, Texas Tech OF So. Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall
Jeff Tezak, Nebraska DH Jr. Poway, Calif./Palomar CC
Jordy Mercer, Oklahoma State UTL So. Taloga, Okla./Taloga
Tony Watson, Nebraska LHP Jr. Grimes, Iowa/Dallas-Center Grimes
Stephen Porlier, Oklahoma RHP So. Sugarland, Texas/Tulane
James Russell, Texas LHP Jr. Colleyville, Texas/Navarro College
Randy Boone, Texas RP Sr. Yoakum, Texas/Yoakun
HONORABLE MENTION
RP Justin Friend, Oklahoma State; RP Paul Smyth, Kansas; RP Kyle Gibson, Missouri; RP Nick Cassavechia, Baylor; P Luke Wertz, Nebraska; P Johnny Dorn, Nebraska; P Brad Hutt, Kansas State; P Rick Zagone, Missouri; P David Newmann, Texas A&M; P Heath Taylor, Oklahoma; P Kendal Volz, Baylor; OF Joe Dunigan, Oklahoma; OF Aaron Ivey, Oklahoma; OF Keanon Simon, Oklahoma State; OF Jordan Danks, Texas; OF Ben Feltner, Texas A&M; OF John Allman, Kansas, OF Kyle Murphy, Kansas; OF Ben Booker, Baylor; DH Russell Moldenhauer, Texas; C Buck Afenir, Kansas; C Craig Stinson, Texas A&M; C Matt Czimskey, Baylor; C Matt Smith, Texas Tech; C Mitch Abeita, Nebraska; 2B Travis Tucker, Texas; 2B Ryne Price, Kansas; 3B Robby Price, Kansas, 3B Craig Corriston, Nebraska; 3B Kyle Mach, Missouri; 3B Raynor Campbell, Baylor; SS Aaron Reza, Oklahoma; SS Jordy Mercer, Oklahoma State; SS Kyle Martin, Texas Tech; UTL Joseph Hughes, Oklahoma; 1B Andrew Brown, Nebraska; 1B Aaron Baker, Oklahoma; 1B James Leverton, Texas Tech
