CANYON, TEXAS — The Lone Star Conference announced its baseball postseason awards at a banquet held in Canyon, Texas, one day prior to the start of its league tournament on the campus of West Texas A&M. The Eastern New Mexico University baseball team was well represented after a strong season which led to the second postseason berth in program history.
Three Greyhound players were chosen to the league’s nine-player All-Academic team. Highlighting the academic portion of awards was Keenan Dodd’s selection as LSC Academic Player of the Year. Joining the senior pitcher on the All-Academic Team were Enrique Perez and Michael Holliday.
To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.30 grade point average and have reached sophomore status both athletically and academically. The Academic Player of Year award and All-Academic Team are selected from the list of academically qualified players, with the league’s sports information directors voting on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement.
Alex DeLaCruz garnered his second straight First Team All-LSC selection. The senior second baseman was joined as an all-conference honoree by Garlind Webster (second team), Julian Heredia (honorable mention), Keenan Dodd (honorable mention) and Levi Shandrew (honorable mention).
Academic
Keenan Dodd, a senior biochemistry/chemistry major, is the first ENMU baseball player to be chosen as the LSC Academic Player of the Year. The last ENMU athlete to garner LSC Academic Player of the Year was Courtney Lawson (Volleyball, 2016), while the last male winner was Jeremy Buurma (Football, 2015).
With a team-best 6-3 record and a .229 batting average allowed, Dodd hasn’t given up a lot of hits when taking the field for the team. The senior right-hander also has pitched a winner the classroom. In addition to his numerous Lone Star Conference accolades, Dodd has been chosen as ENMU’s regional representative for the Most Outstanding Graduating Senior in Chemistry Award and ENMU Biochemistry Student of the Year. Of the Greyhound starters, Dodd boasts the top earned-run average (4.62) along with wins over UT Permian Basin, Cameron and Angelo State. In ENMU’s historic doubleheader sweep over ASU, he allowed just three runs over 4.1 innings.
Perez, a business administration major, matched Dodd’s 6-3 record on the mound. The junior right hander picked up crucial LSC wins this season against Angelo State, UT Permian Basin, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Cameron. In his big win at Angelo State, Perez tossed 103 pitches over 5.2 innings. He fanned a season-best seven batters in wins over Tuskegee and Cameron.
Holliday, also a business administration major, gave the Greyhounds 17.2 innings of strong pitching out of the bullpen. He made appearances in LSC action against West Texas A&M, Cameron, Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Holliday also started and earned wins in none-conference games against Clark Atlanta and Dallas Christian, and averaged five innings as a starter.
All-LSC
A preseason All-American and defending First Team All-LSC selection, Alex DeLaCruz led the conference in batting average this season. He also ranked second in the league in hits, third in stolen bases and in the top-10 in most offensive categories. DelaCruz boasted a team-best 16-game hit streak this season and currently is on a 10-game streak, which ties for the team’s second best. He leads the squad with 24 multiple-hit games, which included a 3-for-6 outing against league champion WT. The senior second baseman also paced ENMU with 13 multiple RBI games. He has the program’s second highest career batting average, trailing only ENMU Hall of Honors inductee Shane Shallenberger and is second only to Jereme Johnson in stolen base percentage.
After earning Honorable Mention All-LSC last year, Webster moved up to second team after a stellar season. In 38 games at third base, He posted a .911 fielding percentage and contributed to three double plays. Webster’s .359 batting average ranked eighth in the LSC and second on the team, while his slugging percentage was fifth in the conference. Over the season, he registered a 10-game hit streak along with nine multiple-hit games. In one of ENMU’s wins at Angelo State, Webster batted 3-for-3, drove in four runs and just missed the cycle by a homer.
Julian Heredia also garnered Honorable Mention All-LSC honors and was a vital part of the Greyhound offensive machine. With a .336 batting average, He started 22 games at catcher. In addition to tossing out five potential base stealers, Heredia swiped 14 bases in 16 tries. As a senior, he registered a six-game hit streak and enters tomorrow on a five-game streak. A strong run-producer, Heredia has 11 multiple-hit games and is second on the team with 10 multiple-RBI games. At UTPB, he drove in a season-best six runs.
Shandrew made a crucial transition from behind the plate to on the mound, and has been an integral part of the Greyhound bullpen this season. His six saves tie for fourth in Greyhound history with all-time closer Keith Balderaz. Shandrew’s earned-run average ranks tenth in the league, while his .202 batting average allowed is ninth. He currently is tied for fourth in the LSC in saves. The senior right hander earned critical saves in LSC action against Angelo State, UT Permian Basin, Cameron and Texas A&M-Kingsville. He also registered a 3-for-5 performance at the plate in the regular-season finale.
The Eastern New Mexico University baseball team will open play in the Lone Star Conference tournament, tomorrow night. The contest against Angelo State in Canyon, Texas, is set for a 6 p.m. MT start.
2018 LSC BASEBALL ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS
Player Team Yr. Pos. Major Hometown
Keenan Dodd Eastern New Mexico P Sr. Biochemistry/Chemistry Albuquerque, New Mexico
Enrique Perez Eastern New Mexico P Jr. Business Administration Albuquerque, New Mexico
Christian Loya West Texas A&M DH Jr. Finance Amarillo, Texas
Gaige Vines Cameron P So. Sports and Exercise Science Trophy Club, Texas
Mike Fernandez UT Permian Basin 1B Sr. Mechanical Engineering Miami, Florida
Preston Plovanich Texas A&M-Kingsville P Jr. Marketing Santa Fe, Texas
Dylan Lemons Tarleton State INF Sr. Kinesiology Alvarado, Texas
Michael Holliday Eastern New Mexico P Jr. Business Administration Albuquerque, New Mexico
Pablo Hernandez Texas A&M-Kingsville INF Jr. Finance Havana, Cuba
LSC Baseball Academic Player of the Year: Keenan Dodd, Eastern New Mexico
2018 LSC BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
SPECIAL AWARDS
Player of the Year: Luis Amaro, West Texas A&M
Pitcher of the Year: Nathan Hickey, Tarleton State
Freshman of the Year: Tyler Flores, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Coaching Staff of the Year: West Texas A&M (Matt Vanderburg, Cory Hall, Shawn Neale, Trace Hansen)
FIRST TEAM
Player School Pos. Year Hometown
Tag Baxter West Texas A&M C Jr. Heber City, Utah
Nathan Hickey Tarleton State SP Sr. Granbury, Texas
Darin Cook West Texas A&M SP Jr. Walsh, Colorado
Joe Corbett West Texas A&M SP Jr. Edmond, Oklahoma
Conner Fletcher Tarleton State SP Sr. Henrietta, Texas
Eddie Avila Tarleton State RP Sr. Fort Worth, Texas
Luis Amaro West Texas A&M 1B Sr. Roselle Park, New Jersey
Alex DeLaCruz Eastern New Mexico 2B Sr. Freeport, New York
Nick Novak Angelo State SS So. Stillwater, Minnesota
Levi Zents Texas A&M-Kingsville 3B Sr. Fort Worth, Texas
Jacob Boston Angelo State INF Sr. Chandler, Arizona
Blake Adams Tarleton State OF Sr. Longview, Texas
Francisco Rodriguez Tarleton State OF Sr. Punta De Mata, Venezuela
Bodie Bryan West Texas A&M OF Sr. Gilbert, Arizona
Nick Canas West Texas A&M OF Sr. San Antonio, Texas
Brad Mathiowetz Angelo State DH Jr. Rochester, Minnesota
SECOND TEAM
Christian Caudle Texas A&M-Kingsville C Sr. Houston, Texas
Tyler Lesley Angelo State SP Jr. San Antonio, Texas
Tyler Flores Texas A&M-Kingsville SP Fr. San Antonio, Texas
Evan Pontley Tarleton State SP Sr. Ferris, Texas
Kyle Craft Texas A&M-Kingsville SP Sr. Victoria, Texas
Kellen Rholl Angelo State RP Sr. Shoreview, Minnesota
Pablo Hernandez Texas A&M-Kingsville 1B Jr. Houston, Texas
Ruben Rodriguez Tarleton State 2B Sr. El Paso, Texas
Elvin Alamo Tarleton State SS Jr. Toa Baja, Puerto Rico
Garlind Webster Eastern New Mexico 3B Sr. Fairfield, California
Michael Urquidi Angelo State OF Jr. El Paso, Texas
Jimmy Cubillos West Texas A&M OF Sr. El Paso, Texas
Dalton Drury UT Permian Basin OF Sr. Pueblo, Colorado
Jared McCarver Tarleton State OF Sr. Alvarado, Texas
Jake Hasbrouck Tarleton State DH Sr. Ault, Colorado
HONORABLE MENTION
Julian Heredia Eastern New Mexico C Sr. Las Cruces, New Mexico
Cole Williams Cameron C Sr. Mustang, Oklahoma
Keenan Dodd Eastern New Mexico SP Sr. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dominic Yearego West Texas A&M RP Jr. Prosper, Texas
Levi Shandrew Eastern New Mexico RP Sr. Lodi, California
Braden Baker West Texas A&M RP Jr. Canyon, Texas
Joshua Valdez Texas A&M-Kingsville RP Jr. Kyle, Texas
Mike Fernandez UT Permian Basin 1B Sr. Miami, Florida
Kohl Ullman Texas A&M-Kingsville 2B So. Houston, Texas
Tommy Williams West Texas A&M 2B Fr. Canyon, Texas
Endy Villalona Eastern New Mexico SS Sr. Freeport, New York
Tyler Fowler Tarleton State 3B So. Cleburne, Texas
Manny Loredo Texas A&M-Kingsville OF Jr. McAllen, Texas
Alex Wixson UT Permian Basin DH So. Spring, Texas
Christian Loya West Texas A&M DH Jr. Amarillo, Texas
