Some familiar names on the list. Congrats to the locals!
SportsDay's All-Big 12 baseball team
07:27 PM CDT on Monday, May 19, 2008
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
brdavis@dallasnews.com
Player of the year: Jose Duran, Texas A&M
There was no pressure for Duran, a shortstop from Fort Worth Paschal, to put up monster numbers on a team full of veterans. But the North Central Texas College transfer made an exceptional adjustment to Division I baseball, settling into the clean-up spot with the Aggies and hitting an eye-popping .432 in Big 12 play while driving in 30 runs. For the season, Duran hit .397 with 13 doubles, seven triples and five home runs.
Pitcher of the year: Aaron Crow, Missouri
No other pitcher in the Big 12 is as exciting as the right-handed junior from Wakarusa, Kan. Few are this good, too. Crow went 12-0 with a 2.66 ERA while striking out 111 batters. That's 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. With numbers like that, it's no wonder why he will be one of the top picks in the upcoming major league draft. The few times Crow has run into trouble, the offense bailed him out. He gave up nine runs one night against Texas; the Tigers answered with 31.
Coach of the year: Frank Anderson, Okla. State
Texas Tech coach Larry Hays and Texas' Augie Garrido know all about Anderson's full-throttle style between the lines. The former Tech and UT assistant is an aggressive recruiter who knows how to build winning teams. In his fifth season at OSU, Anderson's club was in contention to win the Big 12 title on the final day of the regular season. The Cowboys could host a NCAA regional and have the talent to reach the College World Series.
Freshman of the year: Chance Ruffin, Texas
Ruffin had a strong first season with the Longhorns, going 7-3 with a Big 12-leading 1.84 ERA in 18 appearances. He also has excellent bloodlines. His father, Bruce, played for Texas from 1982 to '85 and then pitched for 12 years in the major leagues.
First team
Pos Player School Cl. Hometown Key stats
C Mitch Abeita Nebraska Sr. Dallas .343, 9 HR, .548 slugging pct.
1B Rebel Ridling Oklahoma St. Sr. Sentinel, Okla. .330, 16 doubles, 16 HR
2B Jake Opitz Nebraska Sr. Littleton, Colo. .327, 14 doubles, 7 HR
SS Jose Duran Texas A&M Jr. Fort Worth .397, 5 HR, 61 RBIs
3B Dane Carter Texas A&M Sr. Graham .383, 13 doubles, 58 RBIs
OF Neil Medchill Oklahoma St. Jr. Oxford, Mich. .354, 9 doubles, 9 HR
OF Aaron Senne Missouri So. Rochester, Minn. .363, 13 doubles, 13 HR
OF Jordan Danks Texas Jr. Round Rock .317, 20 doubles, .554 slugging pct.
DH Darby Brown Texas A&M Sr. Lubbock .337, 9 HR, 55 RBIs
UT Jordy Mercer Oklahoma St. Jr. Taloga, Okla. .332, 80 hits, 51 RBIs
SP Aaron Crow Missouri Jr. Wakarusa, Kan. 12-0, 2.66 ERA, 111 strikeouts
SP Tyler Lyons Oklahoma St. So. Lubbock 10-2, 3.06 ERA, 82 strikeouts
SP Johnny Dorn Nebraska Sr. Grand Isl., Neb. 5-1, 2.55 ERA, 93 strikeouts
RP Travis Starling Texas A&M So. Yoakum 8-0, 3.40 ERA, 9 saves
Second team
Pos. Player Team
C Trevor Coleman Missouri
1B Aaron Baker Oklahoma
2B Willie Rueda Texas Tech
SS Beamer Weems Baylor
3B Shaver Hansen Baylor
OF Aljay Davis Oklahoma
OF Kyle Russell Texas
OF Aaron Miller Baylor
DH Russell Moldenhauer Texas
UT John Allman Kansas
SP Chance Ruffin Texas
SP Kyle Gibson Missouri
SP Andrew Oliver Oklahoma State
RP Kyle Thebeau Texas A&M
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