Nine Aggies, head coach earn LSC honors

RICHARDSON, Texas (May 10) – Nine members of the Cameron University baseball team, along with Aggie head coach Todd Holland, have received individual recognition in the Lone Star Conference. Five members of the Aggie squad earned first team All-LSC North Division honors, while three others were named to the All-LSC North second team. Holland, who in his third year as Cameron’s head coach led the team to its highest win total in nearly two decades, was named Co-Coach of the Year in the division for the second straight year.

Earning first-team honors for the Aggies were senior pitcher Kacy Groves, junior pitcher Ryan Totte, senior first baseman John Herbert, junior third baseman B.J. Cole and senior outfielder Greg Patton. Junior pitchers Art Gonzales and Ryan Bengert, along with junior second baseman Blake Hughes, earned second-team All-LSC North honors. Senior catcher Matt Machinski earned honorable mention.

Groves finished second on the team this season in earned run average and pitching victories while tossing three shutouts and a team-high six complete games. The right-hander from Odessa, Texas, also entered the Aggie record books by throwing the first no-hitter since Cameron joined the NCAA in a 4-0 win over third-ranked Abilene Christian on March 24, and led the Aggies with 42 strikeouts. Totte, a left-hander from Lawton, finished second on the team in strikeouts and shutouts and had the highest winning percentage (.750) among Cameron’s regular starters this season and was a perfect 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in LSC North play.

Herbert, a Lawton native, led the team with a .355 batting average. He led the Aggies with 70 total hits, including 16 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs. Cole, a product of Glendale, Ariz., earned a reputation as one of the best fielding third basemen in the region this year while also ranking among the LSC offensive leaders in several categories. He led the Aggies with 59 runs scored and finished the season with a team-high 24 doubles and 12 homers. Patton, an honorable mention All-American selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association a year ago, earned All-LSC first team honors for the second straight season in the outfield after finishing second on the team with a .351 batting average.

Gonzales posted a 9-4 mound record this year, finishing one victory shy of the school record for wins in a season. The Lubbock, Texas, right-hander finished third on the team behind Groves and Totte in strikeouts and had three complete games. Bengert, a right-hander from Scottsdale, Ariz., finished as the team ERA leader and set a school record this season with seven saves. He had a 5-4 record and led the Aggies with 20 pitching appearances. Hughes led the Aggies with 31 walks at the plate this season and had an on-base percentage of .411. The Plano, Texas, native was one of just three players to start every game for the Aggies this season and finished third on the team with seven home runs. Machinski came on late in the season, leading the Aggies with a .429 batting average against LSC North opponents. The Oklahoma City product finished the season fourth on the team with a .335 overall batting average and finished second on the team with 19 doubles.

Cameron concluded the 2006 season earlier this week with its first-ever appearance in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament. The Aggies finished with an overall record of 34-22, marking the team’s highest win total since the 1988 Cameron squad posted a 36-22 mark.

For a complete look at the 2006 All-Lone Star Conference baseball teams, visit the LSC online at www.lonestarconference.org.