May 31, 2004

DALLAS-Some of the most talented composite teams in Big 12 history during 2004 have produced a standout cast for the eighth annual Coaches All-Big 12 Conference baseball team and individual awards as chosen by the conference's head coaches.

Six Big 12 teams (ties the 1999 season for most squads ever chosen from this conference) advanced to 2004 NCAA Regionals and used these talented youngsters amply in their drives to postseason play. Eight schools are represented on the first team of the '04 Coaches All-Big, and conference champion Texas also is represented by Coach of the Year (in voting by his peers) Augie Garrido.

Garrido's 1,480 victories since the 1969 season are the most in any sport in NCAA history, and he guided the Longhorns to a 50-13 mark prior to NCAA activity with a No. 1 seeding in the 64-team bracket. The Longhorns' mentor took UT to the 2002 national title and became the first Division I diamond coach to guide teams at Cal State Fullerton and Texas to NCAA championships in four different decades.

2004 Player of the Year sophomore 3B Alex Gordon of Nebraska also epitomizes the tough choices the coaches had to make in balloting from a national-class group of student-athletes. The first team USA TODAY Sports Weekly All-America star batted .365 with 18 home runs, 75 RBI, a conference-best .754 slugging percentage, 165 total bases, and a .493 on-base percentage to pace the conference.

Pitcher of the Year J.P. Howell of Texas sports All-America credentials from Sports Weekly with 13 wins in his first 15 decisions, 134 strikeouts in his initial 111-plus innings pitched, just 41 walks, 10.8 strikeouts every nine innings to lead conference pitchers with a minimum of one IP per team game, and even one save in a critical Big 12 contest. His 2.01 ERA at the May 31 juncture was the best in the league.

Newcomer of the Year 1B Ole Sheldon of Oklahoma helped his team achieve double-digit wins' improvement (14 more than the '03 squad prior to 2004 NCAA action) with a team-leading .371 batting average, 53 RBI, four home runs, and solid defense at first. He edged fellow newcomer 1B Josh Brady of Texas Tech with 19 homers and 84 RBI along with Tech junior transfer SS Cameron Blair, teammate DH Eric Thornton (second team All-Big 12 DH), and notable other first-time stalwarts.

Big 12 Freshman Player of the Year OF Drew Stubbs of Texas joined fellow UT yearling Carson Kainer to give the Longhorns one of the best young outfields in the nation. Stubbs stole 25 bases in his first 61 games to pace Texas to 106 team stolen bases through the Big 12 Phillips postseason for the 11th-highest season total in school history.

A special Freshman Pitcher of the Year category was designated in 2004 after numerous youngsters made rotation contributions to their respective pitching staffs. Meyer came out of the bullpen to win five consecutive Big 12 round-robin starts while striking out 96 hitters in his first 91 1/3 innings on the mound. He also opened the year at 8-2 while joining transfer Zach Jackson (via Louisville) of the Aggies as two of the starting pitchers on the All-Big 12 squad.

Missouri, making its first back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances since the 1980 and '81 seasons, placed ace RHP Garrett Broshuis on the top unit after he posted a pre-NCAA mark of 10-0 with a 2.57 ERA and 85 strikeouts.

Among the position players Tech's Blair entered post-Big 12 activity with a .378 average, 14 homers and 77 RBI as the g 12) linked with utility man Michael Griffin (.340-plus average and 32 total RBI) on the first team shortstop. Oklahoma 2B Russell Raley not only supplied the Sooners with excellent defense but also batted .336 with 10 sacrifice hits. Oklahoma State All-Big 12 first crew catcher Jason Jaramillo was an integral part of the school's Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament triumph with 51 RBI in his first 58 games while Texas C-1B-OF-utilityman Curtis Thigpen starred at multiple positions, was used as a DH on occasion, batted .366 in his first 62 contests, and was a strong candidate for 2004 Big 12 Player of the Year.

2004 All-Big 12 Conference Baseball Team (As Selected by Conference Head Coaches) First Team
1B-Josh Brady, Texas Tech, 5-10, 187, Jr., Lindon, Utah
2B-Russell Raley, Oklahoma, 5-10, 175, So., Uvalde, Texas
SS-Cameron Blair, Texas Tech, 5-10, 166, Jr., Dallas, Texas
3B-Alex Gordon, Nebraska, 6-1, 210, So., Lincoln, Neb.
C-Jason Jaramillo, Oklahoma State, 6-1, 200, Jr., Franksville, Wis.
OF-(tie in voting) Cory Patton, Texas A&M, 5-10, 210, Sr., Owasso, Calif.; Michael Mask, Texas Tech, 5-9, 180, Jr., Sarasota, Fla.; Matt Baty, Kansas, 5-11, 185, So., Wichita, Kan.; Carson Kainer, Texas, 6-1, 195, Fr., Tomball, Texas; Drew Stubbs, Texas, 6-4, 190, Fr., Atlanta, Texas

DH-Lee Laskowski, Missouri, 6-1, 210, Sr., Clayton, Mo.
UT-Curtis Thigpen, Texas, 6-0, 188, Jr., Forney, Texas

Starting Pitchers-J.P. Howell, Texas, 6-1, 180, Jr., Sacramento, Calif.; Jason Meyer, Texas A&M, 5-9, 175, Fr., Abilene, Texas; Garrett Broshuis, Missouri, 6-2, 185, Jr., Advance, Mo.; Zach Jackson, Texas A&M, 6-5, 220, Jr., Cranberry Township, Pa.

Relief Pitchers-(tie in voting) Huston Street, Texas, 6-0, 190, Jr., Austin, Texas; Jarod McAuliff, Oklahoma, 6-0, 170, Jr., Stillwater, Okla.; J. Brent Cox, Texas, 6-3, 215, So., Bay City, Texas

Player of the Year-3B Alex Gordon, Nebraska
Pitcher of the Year-J.P. Howell, Texas
Coach of the Year-Augie Garrido, Texas
Newcomer of the Year-1B Ole Sheldon, Oklahoma, 6-3, 207, Jr., Roseburg, Ore.
Freshman of the Year-OF Drew Stubbs, Texas
Freshman Pitcher of the Year-Jason Meyer, Texas A&M

Second Team (Ties in voting)
1B-Ole Sheldon, Oklahoma
2B-Jake Mullinax, Nebraska, 6-1, 205, Sr., Hesperia, Calif.
SS-Ritchie Price, Kansas, 6-2, 180, So., San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Chris Gutierrez, Oklahoma State, 5-11, 175, So., Orlando, Fla.; Robby Hudson, Texas, 6-0, 165, Jr., Redlands, Calif.

3B-Josh Haney, Texas Tech, 5-9, 189, Sr., Midland, Texas
C-Sean Richardson, Kansas, 6-1, 185, Jr., Vista, Calif.; Craig Stinson, Texas A&M, 6-2, 195, So., Cranston, R.I.
OF-Reid Brees, Baylor, 6-1, 210, Jr., Austin, Texas; Steve Murphy, Kansas State, 6-2, 205, So., Kansas City, Mo.; Ryan Rallo, Missouri, 6-2, 195, Sr., Chesterfield, Mo.; Scott Kirby, Oklahoma State, 6-1, 205, Sr., San Mateo, Calif.

DH-Eric Thornton, Oklahoma, 5-11, 220, Jr., McCloud, Okla. UT-Cliff Pennington, Texas A&M, 5-11, 170, So., Corpus Christi, Texas Starting Pitchers-Spencer Grogan, Oklahoma State, 6-4, 220, Jr., Cantonment, Fla.; Mark Roberts, Oklahoma, 5-11, 185, Sr., Owasso, Okla.; Zach Kroenke, Nebraska, 6-2, 200, So., Omaha, Neb.; David Purcey, Oklahoma, 6-5, 240, Jr., Dallas, Texas

Relief Pitchers-Justin Pekarek, Nebraska, 6-3, 220, Sr., Staplehurst, Neb.; Corey Gerstner, Texas Tech, 5-9, 156, Sr., Burkburnett, Texas

Honorable Mention 1B Ryan Baty, Kansas; 1B Cody Ehlers, Missouri; 1B Curtis Ledbetter, Nebraska; 1B Coby Mavroulis, Texas A&M; 2B Erik Schindewolf, Texas A&M; 3B Travis Metcalf, Kansas; 3B Josh Fields, Oklahoma State; DH Josh Ford, Baylor; SP Trey Taylor, Baylor; SP Danny Hill, Missouri; SP Dallas Braden, Texas Tech; RP Abe Woody, Baylor; RP Mark Alexander, Missouri; OF Ty Wright, Oklahoma State; 2B Paul Witt, Baylor; 2B Seth Johnston, Texas; 3B Michael Griffin, Baylor; 3B Austin Boggs, Texas A&M; SS Joe Simokaitis, Nebraska; SS Ryan Rohlinger, Oklahoma; C Taylor Teagarden, Texas; OF Matt Tribble, Kansas; OF Terry Blunt, Kansas State; OF James Boone, Missouri; OF Hunter Harris, Texas; DH Ryan Russ, Texas; SP Ryan Knippschild, Kansas; SP Mike Zagurski, Kansas; SP Sam LeCure, Texas; SP Justin Simmons, Texas; RP Mark Alexander, Missouri; RP Daniel McCutchen, Oklahoma; RP Scott Richmond, Oklahoma State; RP Buck Cody, Texas; SP Kyle McCulloch, Texas; SP Nathan Culp, Missouri