Baseball Trio Named All-Conference Honorees Ahead of SLC Tournament

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Ahead of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, Texas A&M-Corpus Chrisit's program saw a triad of players named to the All-Conference Teams announced by the conference Monday afternoon.

Senior Brendan Ryan was named to the SLC First-Team as an outfielder for the second consecutive year after earning preseason recognition by the Southland. Ryan completed the regular season with a career-high batting average of .350, collecting 77 hits with 29 coming in the form of extra-base hits. He's attained 13 doubles, nine triples, and seven home runs with his triples count putting him at second in the nation in the category.

"He's had a great year and the game comes easy to him," said head coach Scott Malone. "I pencil him in somewhere at the top of our batting order and know we're going to get two or three good at-bats. He plays a really good center field and is a big part of our team's success."

Tre Jones, a junior, earned SLC Second-Team recognition as a designated hitter, following up a performance in which he earned All-Conference honors in 2022. Jones is hitting .318 behind the plate, earning 61 hits en route to scoring 37 times. He owns the third-best slugging percentage on the team at .505, behind his fellow All-Conference teammates.

"I'm excited for Tre and what a great kid he is on and off the field," continued Malone. "Tre represents everything you want in a student-athlete. He's great in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. He can hit well and is one of the scariest hitters in the league."

Joining Jones on the SLC Second-Team is senior Max Puls, his first time on the All-Conference team, as a utility player. Puls has spread out his time on the field through numerous spots, playing as a first baseman, left fielder, and designated hitter. He's started in all 46 competitions he's been a part of, collecting 59 hits, 33 runs, and a team-high 10 home runs, three coming against Nicholls, the Southland Regular-Season Champion.

"He's a great fit in the utility slot and brings two gloves every day and says let me know where you want me," praised Malone. "He's not as big or fast as some of the other guys, but he hits and has great at-bats. He hits in the biggest spots."

A&M-Corpus Christi enters the tournament as the seventh seed and will take on sixth-seeded McNeese in the play-in game for a chance to elongate the 2023 campaign. Both teams faced each other earlier this season with the Islanders claiming the Saturday game to force the rubber match on Sunday.

The appearance marks the fourth year in a row the Islanders have competed in the championships, excluding the 2020 covid-shortened season.

The matchup between the Islanders and the Cowboys is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Joe Miller Ballpark and will be available to stream on ESPN+ with a subscription.

Below are all the honors bestowed by the conference.

Player of the Year: Ryan Snell, Lamar
Hitter of the Year: Tristan Moore, New Orleans
Pitcher of the Year: Grant Rogers, McNeese
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Steve Hayward, UIW
Freshman of the Year: Jacob Mayers, Nicholls
Newcomer of the Year: Rey Mendoza, UIW
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: Mike Silva, Nicholls
 
2022 All-Southland Conference First Team

Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
1B	Edgar Alvarez	Nicholls	Jr.	Orlando, Fla.
2B	Tyler Bischke	New Orleans	Jr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.
3B	Michael Dattalo	Northwestern State	Fr.	Keller, Texas
SS	Parker Coddou	Nicholls	Jr.	Thibodaux, La.
C	Ryan Snell	Lamar	Sr.	Hardin, Texas
DH	Rey Mendoza	UIW	Gr.	Eagle Pass, Texas
OF	Xane Washington	Nicholls	R-Sr.	Houma, La.
OF	Tristan Moore	New Orleans	Jr.	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
OF	Brendan Ryan	A&M-Corpus Christi	Sr.	Leawood, Kan.
SP	Grant Rogers	McNeese	Jr.	Groves, Texas
SP	Jacob Mayers	Nicholls	Fr.	Gonzales, La.
SP	Brandon Mitchell	New Orleans	Sr.	Houston, Texas
RP	Steve Hayward	UIW	R-Sr.	Flower Mound, Texas
U	Alec Carr	UIW	Sr.	Sugar Land, Texas

 
2022 All-Southland Conference Second Team

Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
1B	Anthony Herron, Jr.	New Orleans	Sr.	Chicago, Ill.
2B	Brad Burckel	McNeese	Sr.	Lindale, Texas
3B	Reed Chumley	HCU	Jr.	Cypress, Texas
SS	Jake Haze	Northwestern State	Jr.	Highlands Ranch, Colo.
C	Hernan Yanez	UIW	Sr.	San Luis, Ariz.
DH	Tre Jones	A&M-Corpus Christi	Jr.	Houston, Texas
OF	Mitchell Sanford	New Orleans	R-So.	Berwick, La.
OF	Jeffrey Elkins	Northwestern State	Sr.	Lafayette, La.
OF	Samuel Benjamin	HCU	Jr.	Katy, Texas
SP	Brooks Caple	Lamar	Jr.	Gunter, Texas
SP	Hunter Hesseltine	Lamar	So.	Topeka, Kan.
SP	Alex Makarewich	Northwestern State	Jr.	Keller, Texas
RP	Gavin Galy	Nicholls	R-So.	Orlando, Fla.
U	Max Puls	A&M-Corpus Christi	Sr.	Palm Desert, Calif.

2022 Southland Conference All-Defensive Team

Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
1B	Edgar Alvarez	Nicholls	Jr.	Orlando, Fla.
2B	Jimmy DeLeon	UIW	Sr.	El Paso, Texas
3B	Alec Carr	UIW	Sr.	Sugar Land, Texas
SS	Parker Coddou	Nicholls	Jr.	Thibodaux, La.
C	Ryan Snell	Lamar	Sr.	Hardin, Texas
LF	Cooper Hext	McNeese	Jr.	DeQuincy, La.
CF	Tyler Finke	Southeastern	Gr.	Columbus, Ind.
RF	Xane Washington	Nicholls	R-Sr.	Houma, La.
P	Grant Rogers	McNeese	Jr.	Groves, Texas

Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersBSB), Instagram (@IslandersBSB) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Baseball).
 
#ShakasUp