May 22, 2007
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Mountain West Conference announced its 2007 MWC Baseball All-Conference Team and postseason awards today as selected by the league’s head coaches. New Mexico second baseman Jordan Pacheco earned Player of the Year honors, while BYU right-hander Jesse Craig was named Pitcher of the Year, and BYU third baseman Steve Parker and San Diego State right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg shared Freshman of the Year honors. TCU skipper Jim Schlossnagle garnered his second consecutive Coach of the Year accolade.
Regular-season champion TCU headlines this year’s all-conference squad with 11 selections, while San Diego State has six honorees, and BYU and New Mexico have three student-athletes on the all-conference team. Utah has two honorees and Air Force and UNLV each have one selection. This year’s team was made up of 12 juniors, 10 seniors, four sophomores and one freshman.
Pacheco, a 6-1, 190-pound junior second baseman from Albuquerque, N.M., led the MWC in batting average (.421), on-base percentage (.536), runs scored (62), hits (85) and doubles (20), and was tied for first in the league in slugging percentage (.614). He also ranked in the top-five in RBI (49) and total bases (124). In conference games, Pacheco ranked first in batting average (.454), on-base percentage (.555), runs scored (29), hits (44) and walks (21), while tying for first in slugging percentage (.670).
Craig, a 6-3, 235-pound senior from Las Vegas, Nev., posted a 6-0 record in MWC games with an ERA of 1.58 and 53 strikeouts. He held MWC opponents to a .244 batting average this season in eight appearances. Overall, he posted a 10-2 record with a league-low ERA of 2.80 and conference-leading 85 strikeouts in an MWC-high 119.0 innings pitched.
Parker, from American Fork, Utah, batted .317 overall with an on-base percentage of .443, which ranks fifth in the conference. In league games, he was second in the conference in walks (19) and ninth in on-base percentage (.448). He also had six home runs, 32 RBI and 39 runs scored this season, while tallying a .919 fielding percentage from the third base position.
Strasburg, a 6-5, 215-pound, San Diego , Calif., native, posted an MWC freshman-high seven saves on the season, which ties the all-time single-season conference mark for saves by a freshman. He also contributed 46 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.50 in 36.0 innings pitched.
Schlossnagle, in his fourth season with TCU, led the Horned Frogs to their second consecutive regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in this year’s MWC Championship. He also helped TCU to a school-record 43 wins this season, as the Horned Frogs head into the tournament as the 18th-ranked team in the nation. Schlossnagle has an overall record of 162-81 with TCU and a career record of 239-128.
2007 All-Mountain West Conference Baseball Team
FIRST TEAM
Position – Name, Team, Ht./Wt., Yr., Hometown (Previous School)
Catcher – Andrew Walker*, TCU, 6-0/197, Jr., Houston, Texas (Bellaire HS)
First Base – Jay Brossman*!^, Utah, 6-2/210, Sr., Pullman, Wash. (Pullman HS)
Second Base – Jordan Pacheco*!, New Mexico, 6-1/190, Jr., Albuquerque, N.M. (La Cueva HS)
Shortstop – Bryan Kervin*, TCU, 5-11/185, Jr., Grapevine, Texas (Arizona)
Third Base – Nick Romero*, San Diego State, 6-1/190, So., Chula Vista, Calif. (Eastlake HS)
Outfield – Austin Adams*, TCU, 6-5/215, Sr., Henderson, Texas (Baylor)
Outfield – Clint Arnold, TCU, 5-9/190, Jr., Grand Prairie, Texas (Arkansas)
Outfield – Ryan Kowalski, UNLV, 6-0/180, Sr., San Diego, Calif. (Univ. of San Diego HS)
Designated Hitter – Karl Bolt, Air Force, 6-2/215, Sr., Stockton, Calif. (Lincoln HS)
Pitcher – Jesse Craig*, BYU, 6-3/235, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev. (Southern Nevada CC)
Pitcher – Bobby LaFromboise, New Mexico, 6-4/185, Jr., Downey, Calif. (Rio Hondo CC)
Pitcher – Jake Arrieta*, TCU, 6-4/225, Jr., Plano, Texas (Weatherford JC)
Relief Pitcher – Sam Demel*, TCU, 6-0/185, Jr., Spring, Texas (Spring HS)
SECOND TEAM
Position – Name, Team, Ht./Wt., Yr., Hometown (Previous School)
Catcher – Frank LoNigro, San Diego State, 6-2, 225, Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif. (Fresno State)
First Base – Daniel Stovall*^, New Mexico, 6-1/210, Sr., Midland, Texas (Midland HS)
First Base – Matt Vern, TCU, 6-3/215, So., Lake Jackson, Texas (Brazoswood HS)
Second Base – Corey Shimada, Utah, 5-10/175, So., Murray, Utah (Murray HS)
Shortstop – Troy Hanzawa, San Diego State, 5-9/160, Jr., Wahiawa, Hawai`i (Yavapai JC)
Third Base – Steve Trout, TCU, 5-10/185, Sr., Hooks, Texas (Texarkana CC)
Outfield – Collin Fanning, BYU, 6-3/180, Jr., Edmond, Okla. (Claredon College)
Outfield – Brandon Glover, San Diego State, 6-1/190, Jr., McKinney, Texas (Texas A&M)
Outfield – Keith Conlon, TCU, 6-3/210, Sr., Dallas, Texas (Weatherford JC)
Designated Hitter – Apana Nakayama, BYU, 5-10/200, Sr., Kaunakakai, Hawai`i (Utah Valley State)
Pitcher – Lance Sewell, San Diego State, 6-2/195, So., Gilbert, Ariz. (Arizona)
Pitcher – Chance Corgan, TCU, 6-2/185, Jr., Plano, Texas (Texas A&M)
Pitcher – Chris Johnson, TCU, 6-3/200, Jr., Huntington, W.V. (Logan JC)
Relief Pitcher – Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State, 6-5/215, Fr., San Diego, Calif. (West Hills HS)
Player of the Year – Jordan Pacheco, New Mexico
Pitcher of the Year – Jesse Craig, BYU
Co-Freshman of the Year – Steve Parker, BYU; Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State
Coach of the Year – Jim Schlossnagle, TCU
*2006 All-MWC Selection
!2005 All-MWC Selection
^2004 All-MWC Selection