Southeastern Louisiana Seward Named Southland Baseball Player of the Year
FRISCO, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana sophomore outfielder Jacob Seward has been named the Southland Conference Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Monday in conjunction with the release of its all-conference teams.
Northwestern State junior outfielder Cort Brinson was tabbed the conference’s hitter of the year while Nicholls sophomore right-hander Justin Sinibaldi was named the conference’s pitcher of the year. Nicholls senior left-hander pitcher Stuart Holmes was named the Southland relief pitcher of the year and the Colonels also landed junior infielder Kyle Reese as the conference’s newcomer of the year. McNeese State freshman second baseman Joe Provenzano was tabbed the freshman of the year. Southeastern Louisiana head coach Matt Riser was named the Clay Gould Coach of the Year for the first time.
Seward ranked among the Southland’s top-seven players in six different categories. The sophomore from New Orleans, La., (Brother Martin H.S), ranked second in on base percentage (.457) and runs scored (47), third in hits (74), stolen bases (19) and individual batting (.365), and seventh in runs batted it with 35 runs. His presence at the plate was noted as Seward struck out just 13 times while walking 25 times in 203 at bats on the season. Seward, who helped the Lions to a 25-5 league mark, the most wins in Southland history and the programs first regular season title. He led his team with 19 stolen basses. He gave up one error all season to post a .992 fielding percentage in the outfield. Seward’s offensive efforts help lead his team to a league-best .303 batting average with 574 hits and 314 RBI. Southeastern Louisiana earned the top seed in this week’s tournament.
Brinson ranked in the top six in three offensive categories. The Hattiesburg, Miss., (Oak Grove H.S.), native was second best in the league with a .510 slugging percentage which included 72 hits, 10 doubles and eight homeruns. The junior outfielder was tabbed fifth in the league in hits and post a top six batting average with a .346 hitting percentage in 51 games played. Five of his eight homeruns came during Southland Conference action which ranked him tied for first in league games. He also found his stride running the bases during conference action leading the league with 64 total bases. Brinson and the Demons closed the regular season with a split series against Lamar, but was able to grabbed second place in the league standings to enter the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed.
Nicholls was able to make an impact in individual honors as three Colonels earned titles. Sinibaldi led the conference through all games in pitching with a 1.40 ERA, good for seventh in the nation, while posting a 10-1 record to top all Southland pitchers in 77.1 innings pitched. The 10 victories rank him sixth among NCAA Division I pitchers. The junior right-hander walked just 16 batters on the year while allowing 12 earned runs. The Kenner, La., (Archbishop Rummel H.S.), native struck out 6.28 batters per nine innings and did not allow a homerun all season. He tied for second in the league with two shutouts in 13 games.
The Colonels continued to shine with their successful pitching staff with Holmes leading the league with 15 saves, six more saves than the next pitcher in the rankings. The senior left-hander from Vancleave, Miss, (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC), posted a 3-1 record in 25 appearances. Holmes threw for a 1.19 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched while giving up just five runs and striking out 33 opponents. His 15 saves ranks Holmes second out of 150 in the nation for games saved.
Reese made his mark in the conference as well as the NCAA during his first season as a Colonel. The junior infielder ranked in the top six in six different offensive categories including top of the league’s offense with a .369 batting average and 19 doubles. The Daphne, Ala., (Daphne H.S.), native also rank first in the league with a .520 slugging percentage. He finished second in total bases (103), and fifth in hits (72) and triples (4).
Provenzano led all freshman with a .432 on base percentage, good for fourth in the league through all games. He also ranked fifth in walks with 26 walks in 50 games. The Downers Grove, Ill. (Downers North H. S.), native posted a .319 batting average with 51 hits in 160 at bats. He notched seven doubles and two triples while scoring 26 runs for the Cowboys.
The marks the second consecutive season Houston Baptist’s Jones is honored with the utility player of the year award after it was initiated in the 2014 season. The senior from Cypress, Texas (Cypress Ranch H. S.), hit .317 for the Huskies with 58 hits in 183 at bats. The infield/pitcher completed the regular season with five wins on 13 games started. He struck out 51 opponents in 9 innings pitching while only allowing one homerun.
After guiding the Lions to their first regular-season title, Riser was tabbed the Southland Conference coach of the year. Southeastern Louisiana finished 25-5 in conference play and will take a 41-15 overall record as the No. 1 seed heading into the conference tournament later this week. Riser is the first Lion coach to earn this distinction after ending last season with a conference tournament win and an NCAA tournament appearance.
Nine schools placed student-athletes on the three all-conference teams, including Southeastern Louisiana. McNeese State, Northwestern State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Houston Baptist, Nicholls, Lamar, Sam Houston state, Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin. Southeastern Louisiana led all teams with nine all-conference selections, including four first-team selections, four second-team selections and one third-team selections. The Lion’s first-team selections include senior first baseman Kevin Carr, sophomore outfielder Jacob Seward, junior designated hitter Daniel Midyett and junior pitcher Tate Scioneaux. McNeese State had the second most representatives throughout the all-conference teams with five, including two first team-selection in senior shortstop Conner Lloyd and freshman second baseman Joe Provenzano.
Houston Baptist and Nicholls each placed two athletes on the first team. Nichols junior third baseman Kyle Reese and justin pitcher Justin Sinibaldi represent the Colonels. Houston Baptist senior outfielder Zach Nehrir and senior catcher Samm Wiggins represent the Huskies on the first team. Northwestern State junior outfielder Cort Brinson is the lone representative for the Demons while A&M-Corpus Christi senior pitcher Trevoe Belicek is the only Islander to make first-team selections.
Another 20 student-athletes earned honorable mention after earning votes from at least 25 percent of the league’s coaches and sports information directors.
Three of the 37 all-conference players were repeat selections with McNeese State junior outfielder Andrew Guillotte, Nicholls junior pitcher Grant Borne and Northwestern State senior pitcher Adam Oller.
The 2014 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament gets underway Wednesday at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. An all-tournament pass, which allows entry into all 15 possible games of the tournament, is $55. A single-day pass, which will include four games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with a possibility of three games on Saturday, is $17 each day. Skeeters season-ticket holders will be eligible for an $11 ticket offer. Additionally, children 5 and under will be admitted free of charge, while students at Southland Conference Institutions will also gain free admission with a valid student ID Tickets are available for purchase at the Constellation Field box office, by phone at 281-240-4487 and online at sugarlandskeeters.com. Online orders are subject to a $2 service charge per ticket.
2015 Southland All-Conference Teams
|
First Team |
|
|
|
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Kevin Carr |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Chandler, Ariz. |
|
2B |
Joe Provenzano |
McNeese State |
Fr. |
Downers Grove, Ill. |
|
3B |
Kyle Reese |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Mobile, Ala. |
|
SS |
Connor Lloyd |
McNeese State |
Sr. |
Marshall, Texas |
|
OF |
Cort Brinson |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Hattiesburg, Miss. |
|
OF |
Jacob Seward |
Southeastern Louisiana |
So. |
New Orleans, La. |
|
OF |
Zach Nehrir |
Houston Baptist |
Sr. |
Orange, Calif. |
|
C |
Samm Wiggins |
Houston Baptist |
Sr. |
Sugar Land, Texas |
|
DH |
Daniel Midyett |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Shreveport, La. |
|
P |
Justin Sinibaldi |
Nicholls |
So. |
Kenner, La. |
|
P |
Trevor Belicek |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Uvalde, Texas |
|
P |
Tate Scioneaux |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Reserve, La. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Second Team |
|
|
|
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Connor Crane |
McNeese State |
Jr. |
Parker, Colo. |
|
2B |
Jake MacWilliam |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
|
3B |
Brett Hoffman |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Coraopolis, Penn. |
|
SS |
Stijn van der Meer |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Rosmalen, Netherlands |
|
OF |
Jordan Lee |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
OF |
Andrew Guillotte2 |
McNeese State |
Jr. |
Moss Bluff, La. |
|
OF |
Tyler Ware |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
C |
Chris Eades |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Slidell, La. |
|
DH |
Kyle Thornell |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Magnolia, Texas |
|
P |
Kyle Cedotal |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Denham Springs, La. |
|
P |
Jake Johnson |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Salina, Okla. |
|
P |
Grant Borne2 |
Nicholls |
Jr.. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third Team |
|
|
|
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
|
1B |
Spence Rahm |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
Tomball, Texas |
|
2B |
David Fry |
Northwestern State |
Fr. |
Colleyville, Texas |
|
2B |
Mason Salazar |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Flower Mound, Texas |
|
3B |
Curtis Jones |
Houston Baptist |
Sr. |
Cypress, Texas |
|
SS |
Louie Payetta |
Houston Baptist |
Jr. |
Huntington Beach, Calif. |
|
OF |
Wesley Hoover |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Conway, Ark. |
|
OF |
Tyler Langley |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Conway, Ark. |
|
OF |
Ryan Byers |
Southeastern Louisiana |
So. |
Ponchatoula, La. |
|
C |
Brandon Provost |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Port Neches, Texas |
|
DH |
CJ Webster |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. |
|
P |
Adam Oller2 |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Conroe, Texas |
|
P |
Collin Kober |
McNeese State |
So. |
Lake Charles, La. |
|
P |
Matt Danton |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Conroe, Texas |
2Two-Time All-Conference Selection
Honorable Mention – First Base: Jake Nash, Lamar. Second Base: Carson Crites, Southeastern Louisiana. Third Base: Seeley Reed, Lamar; Matt Gallier, McNeese State. Shortstop: Kennon Menard, Southeastern Louisiana; Casey Thomas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Outfield: Conner Fikes, Stephen F. Austin; Ryan Calloway, New Orleans; Justin Holt, Nicholls; Hayden Simerly, Sam Houston State; Bryce Johnson, Sam Houston State. Catcher: Collin Yelich, Sam Houston State; Travis Hull, Central Arkansas; Cameron Toole, McNeese State. Designated Hitter: Zacaries Hardy, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Pitcher: Josh Oller, Northwestern State; Connor Gilmore, Central Arkansas; Angelle Chase, Lamar; Matthew McCollough, Houston Baptist; Brandon Smith, Northwestern State; Ryan Deemes, Nicholls.
2015 Southland Conference Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Jacob Seward, Southeastern Louisiana
Hitter of the Year: Cort Brinson, Northwestern State
Pitcher of the Year: Justin Sinibaldi, Nicholls
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Stuart Holmes, Nicholls
Freshman of the Year: Joe Provenzano, McNeese State
Newcomer of the Year: Kyle Reese, Nicholls
Utility Player of the Year: Curtis Jones, Houston Baptist
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: Matt Riser, Southeastern Louisiana