O´Neal Named Daktronics National Pitcher of the Year

Carl O'Neal is the Lenz Pitcher of the Year. (Photo by Antonio Morano Photography / www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com)

CARY, N.C. — St. Mary’s fans have long figured they had the nation’s top pitching staff. Friday’s news merely confirmed their suspicion.

Rattlers ace Carl O’Neal has been named the Ron Lenz Pitcher of the Year, an award handed out by Daktronics, Inc., to the nation’s top NCAA Division II pitcher. As the winner of the award, O’Neal made the All-America First Team.

It marks the first time a Rattler baseball player has ever been recognized as the nation’s top player, and O’Neal’s All-America First Team selection also marks the Rattlers’ first such distinction since Jesse Gutierrez was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-America First Team during their national-championship season of 2001. 

As if that wasn’t enough, joining O’Neal (Jr., San Antonio) on the All-America team was fellow star pitcher Rene Solis (So., San Antonio), who in his first season as a starter made the Second Team. Catcher M.P. Cokinos (Jr., Houston), a transfer from the University of Houston, made the Third Team.

It is the first time the Rattlers have had three All-America selections since their days in the NAIA, when in 1998 three players were named NAIA All-Americans.

For O’Neal, this season has been nothing short of sensational. The right-handed hurler is 13-0 on the season, tied for the nation lead in wins, to go along with a 2.27 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 95.0 innings.

Solis—the No. 2 pitcher in the Rattlers’ arsenal—has numbers just as impressive, posting a 13-2 record with a 1.55 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 110.0 innings pitched. He also has been named a finalist for the coveted Tino Martinez Award, doled out by College Baseball Lineup to the nation’s top D-II player regardless of position.

Cokinos has been one of the Rattlers’ top performers at the plate, batting .340 to go along with eight home runs and a team-high 53 RBIs. He also has committed just a single error behind the plate.

St. Mary’s (48-9), ranked No. 1 in the nation, takes on No. 2 Delta State in the first round of the NCAA Division II College World Series at 4 p.m. (CDT) Sunday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C.

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men’s basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men’s golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men’s golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary’s also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary’s student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.

    

Baseball Coaches

Head Baseball Coach, Charlie Migl

Charlie Migl is in his 27th year as head baseball coach and his 12th as athletics director of St. Mary's University. And simply put, there aren't many better than the Rattlers' longtime skipper.

Migl's Rattlers made headlines in 2012 when they advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship Series for the second time in his career as head coach. With a squad packed with talents and awards, St. Mary's went 49-11 and won their second-ever South Central Regional title on the heels of winning their third consecutive Heartland Conference crown. Falling just one win short of the school record of 50, Migl now sits just 25 wins away from hitting 1,000 for his career, a feat that will be seemingly in store for the 2013 season.

The 2012 season saw Carl O'Neal produce three Pithcer of the Year awards on the national, regional and conference levels, and it also saw a Major League Baseball draft pick in star catcher M.P. Cokinos. As if that wasn't enough, the pitching staff earned the nation's top combined team ERA.

Migl and the Rattlers made the College World Series for the first time since 2001 and were ranked No. 1 in the nation several times during the 2012 season, the first time they had achieved that since winning it all back in '01. The Rattlers were elminated in the third round of the College World Series in 2012 in a heart-wrenching, 5-4 loss to Catawba College. Their unforgettable trek, however, saw St. Mary's earn plenty of recognition.

Migl was honored as the NCBWA National Coach of the Year and was also named the South Central Regional Coach of the Year by the ABCA. His team posted a 31-5 conference record for the top seed, earned 12 conference Player of the Week awards and had nine Rattlers make the All-Conference First and Second Team. In addition, his son, Tyler Migl, received Gold Gloves on the national, regional and conference levels for his stellar defensive work at first base.

The memorable national-title chase of 2012 came off one of Migl's most successful coaching performances when he led the 2011 squad to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional tournament with a 47-10 record.

That record produced the best single-season winning percentage (.825) in school history - yes, better than even in 2001 when Migl led the Rattlers to the NCAA Division II National Championship.

Migl's tenure as athletics director has been one of the most successful in the school's history, with the Rattlers winning four of their six national championships and all four of their NCAA national championships (including the academic title the men's golf team won in 2009). The baseball team won its first-ever national title in 2001 with Migl as head coach and athletics director, and the next year the softball team followed with its second national championship and first in NCAA play. In 2006, Jamie Amoretti won the Rattlers first-ever individual national championship, taking the title at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship. The 2008-2009 men's golf team was named Academic National Champions by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The winningest coach in St. Mary's athletics history, his 975-434 (.691) record includes 11 conference titles, three NAIA Word Series Appearances, two NCAA Division II National Championship Series appearances, five berths in the NCAA Division II postseason and one national championship. He achieved his historic 900th win in a 4-0 victory over Angelo State on March 20 last year, cementing his status as one of the game's greats. He became the fifth-winningest active coach in NCAA Division II baseball and moved into the top 15 on the all-time wins list in 2011.

The Rattlers have won 40 or more games 10 times. He has had 107 players earn All-Conference honors, including 81 who have been named All-Heartland over the last 10 years. Migl has been named conference Coach of the Year 13 times, including six times as a member of the Heartland Conference (most recently in 2012). Twenty-six players have earned All-America honors, eight have been named conference Player of the Year, six have earned conference Pitcher of the Year honors and eight have been named conference Freshman of the Year.

In 2011, his squad won the Heartland Conference regular-season and Heartland Conference Tournament championships en route to hosting the NCAA Division II Regional championship in the final season of playing at V.J. Keefe Field.

Perhaps the truest measure of Migl's success as a head coach has been the consistency with which his teams have won. During his time as a head coach the Rattlers have finished with a winning record 25 times. Last season they posted their 23rd season with 30 or more wins.

The crowning accomplishment of Migl's coaching career came during the 2001 season. In St. Mary's first season as a full NCAA Division II member, the Rattlers shocked nearly everyone outside San Antonio, winning a school record 50 games and taking the national championship. It was the school's first national championship in baseball.

Migl has overseen the development of several prominent players who have been signed by Major League Baseball clubs. Last season, catcher Michael "M.P." Cokinos was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 31st round of the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft. Before that, pitcher Caleb Staudt was the last Rattler drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 39th round of the 2007 draft. Four former Rattlers are currently playing in professional baseball. Current Rattlers assistant coach Carlos Guevara was called up to the Major Leagues by the San Diego Padres in May of 2008. Scott Shimek was signed as a free agent by the Kansas City Royals in 2009, and in the 2011 season Greg Herbst was drafted in the 32nd round by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Migl coached the Rattlers to three of their four NAIA College World Series appearances (1993, 1995 and 1996). He was honored as the NCAA Division II Baseball Coach of the Year, the Division II West Region Coach of the Year and the San Antonio Express-News Co-Sportsman of the Year for 2001. He earned 2002 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year honors.

Migl was a four-year letterman at St. Mary's, earning several collegiate honors, including honorable mention NAIA All-American in 1977. He also was an All-Big State Conference team member and earned All-District IV honors in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The Rattlers posted a 101-56 record during Migl's time as a player. They won three conference championships and made one trip to the NAIA College World Series in 1976. Migl graduated from St. Mary's in 1978. Before returning to St. Mary's to coach, Migl taught for two years at Harlandale High School in San Antonio, assisting in several sports as a coach. Before taking the head position, Migl was the Rattler assistant coach for five years.

He and his wife, Mary, have three children, Katy Nicole (former Rattler volleyball player), Tyler Jacob (former Rattler baseball player) and Jason Ryan, and one grandchild, Presley.

Assistant Baseball Coach, Chris Ermis

Chris Ermis is in his 17th year as the assistant baseball coach for St. Mary's University.

A former Rattler and professional pitcher, Ermis works with the St. Mary's pitching staff and has helped produce several standout pitchers who were taken in the Major League Draft.

Last season, Ermis put the Rattlers in high esteem, helping the Rattlers house the best ERA in the Heartland Conference, the South Central Region and in the nation, ending the season with a combined ERA of 2.49. The production didn't stop there, as the Rattlers produced stellar production in all regards under Ermis' watch, earning numerous national, regional and conference awards. Chief among them was the honor ace Carl O'Neal took home in being named the Daktronics National Pitcher of the Year after going 14-0 with 101 strikeouts for the season. It marked the first time a Rattler baseball player had ever won a national award.

O'Neal also received the 2012 ABCA Regional Pitcher of the Year and the Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year awards, as well as being named a consensus First-Team All-America selection by the ABCA, Daktronics and the NCBWA. But it didn't stop there, as the Rattles also earned seven Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Week awards, had four pitchers make the All-Conference First and Second Teams, two pitchers on the All-Conference Tournament Team and one pitcher, senior Skye Severns, make the All-Region Tournament Team.

Racking up plenty of awards of his own was sophomore Rene Solis, who broke out in his first season as a starting pitcher as the team's No. 2 hurler. He was selected to the All-Region ABCA Second Team, was named a Daktronics All-Region First Team selection, was a NCBWA All-Region Second Team selection and was All-Conference First Team. In addition, Solis was one of six finalists for the 2012 Tino Martinez Award, handed out annually by College Basebal Lineup to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division II college baseball. The lefty ended the season with a 1.69 ERA, 110 strikeouts and a 13-3 win-loss record.

Last season Ermis' pitching staff went deep, as closer Jonathan Perez lit up the nation as well, tying for the nation lead in saves with 18. His steady arm also put him in the St. Mary's record books, as he became the all-time career saves leader with 21. His 18 saves also represented a single-season record. He was named a Daktronics All-Region Second Team selection.

In 2011, Greg Herbst was drafted in the 32nd round by the Philadelphia Phillies after coming to St. Mary's without any collegiate pitching experience. In 2007, Caleb Staudt was selected in the 39th round by the Washington Nationals. In the June 2004 draft, Jeff Wigdahl was picked in the 23rd round by the Houston Astros, while Carlos Guevara was a seventh-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003.

During his time with the Rattlers, Ermis has helped the team to one NAIA World Series appearance, two NCAA World Series appearances and three trips to the NCAA postseason. St. Mary's teams have won eight conference titles during his tenure.

He has helped to produce 38 All-Heart of Texas Conference and Heartland Conference pitchers, including four last season and five the previous season, when Matt Holland and Sammy Rivas, an All-American, shared Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. In addition, Herbst, Carl O'Neal and Kyle Bumpas made the All-Heartland team. In 2010, two Rattler hurlers earned All-Heartland recognition: Alfonso Maldonado and Courtney Behrend. In 2008, Scott Shimek was named Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year and honorable mention All-American. He was the third Rattler to earn Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, joining Wigdahl (2004) and Caleb Staudt (2006), with Holland and Rivas becoming the fourth and fifth to join the list last season. Four Rattler pitchers have been named All-American with Ermis on the coaching staff.

In addition to his time as coach for the Rattlers, he spent one season as the pitching coach for Trinity University in San Antonio. He also coached the San Antonio Titans under-18 select baseball team from 2001-03 and 2005. In 2003, the team was the South Central region runner-up.

Ermis pitched for Migl and St. Mary's from 1989-90, and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays organization, where he pitched for one season.

After retiring from professional baseball, Ermis returned to St. Mary's and received his bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science in 1997.

Ermis and his wife Carmen have one daughter, Caitlyn, and twin boys, Andrew and Brandon.

Assistant Baseball Coach, Ryan Femath

Ryan Femath is in his sixth year as an assistant coach after wrapping up his playing career with the Rattlers, having moved up the ranks from student to graduate assistant over the years.

As St. Mary's hitting coach last season, Femath and the Rattlers saw five Hitter of the Week awards from the Heartland Conference en route to advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championship Series.

As a player in 2007, he helped the Rattlers to 36 wins and a third place finish in the Heartland Conference standings.

Femath, a native of El Paso, played two years for the Rattlers after transferring from Howard College. In his two years with the Rattlers, Femath played in 99 games, including 90 starts, hitting .326 with 14 doubles, 11 homeruns, 59 RBI and 88 runs scored.

In his first season with St. Mary's, Femath earned All-Heartland Conference honors after hitting .335 with 6 doubles, 9 homeruns, 39 RBI and 61 runs scored. He was named Heartland Conference Hitter of the Week twice.

Prior to his time in San Antonio he was an all-conference performer at Howard College. He graduated from Montwood High School in El Paso, earning all-state honors. He graduated from St. Mary's with his bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science in December of 2008. He is working toward his masters in educational leadership.

Assistant Baseball Coach, Michael Brzezinski

Michael Brzezinski is in his fourth year as a student assistant coach after finishing a record-setting career as a player for the Rattlers.

Brzezinski played in 215 games during his career, starting in 213 of them. He finished with a .374 batting average, 53 doubles, 18 triples, 23 homeruns, 186 RBI and 242 runs scored. He is the Rattlers all-time leader for at-bats, runs scored, hits and triples in a career. He had his best season as a sophomore in 2007. He hit .408 with 8 doubles, 8 homeruns, 43 RBI and 64 runs scored.

Brzezinski earned numerous honors in his career, including All-Heartland Conference recognition each of his four years with the team, Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year, Daktronics NCAA Division II All-South Central Region and National College Baseball Writers Association honorable mention NCAA Division II All-American in 2007.

Brzezinski is native of San Antonio and attended Sandra Day O'Connor High School. He graduated from St. Mary's in 2010 with a degree in accounting and is currently working toward his masters in management. He is expected to complete the degree in the spring of 2012.

Assistant Baseball Coach, Carlos Guevara

Carlos Guevara was a standout pitcher for the Rattlers from 2001-2003, leaving his name all over the St. Mary's record books en route to a professional baseball career.

Guevara posted a career record of 20-8 with three saves, averaging 10.10 strikeouts per game, which ranks second in the modern era among Rattler players. He posted a 3.06 career ERA with 208 career strikeouts, holding opposing batters to a .238 batting average.

He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. He signed with the Reds and worked his way up the organizational ladder before being selected by the Florida Marlins in the 2007 Rule 5 draft. He was immediately traded to the San Diego Padres, where he enjoyed a brief stint with the big-league team before being released in 2009. While with the Padres, Guevara played some locally with the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium.

A native of Uvalde, Texas, Guevara is married to the former Katy Migl (daughter of baseball coach Charlie Migl), a former standout volleyball player for the Rattlers. They have one daughter, Presley.

2013 St. Mary's Baseball Roster

2001 NCAA Division II National Champions

2012 South Central Regional Champions

2002, 2010, 2011, 2012 Heartland Conference Champions
'88, '91, '92, '95, '96, '97, & '98
Heart of Texas Conference Champions

'57, '58, '59, '60, '61, '64, '68, '70,
'71, '76, '77, '78, '80, '81, '84, '86 & '87
Big State Conference Champions