May 11, 2011
San Antonio – The nationally ranked St. Mary’s Rattlers’ baseball team certainly has shown it knows how to win games this spring. On Wednesday, it proved just as adept at winning awards.
First baseman Tyler Migl (Jr., San Antonio) was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Year, the league announced, while starting pitcher Matt Holland (Sr., Shreveport, La.) and closer Sammy Rivas (Sr., San Antonio) shared Co-Pitcher of the Year honors.
Legendary coach Charlie Migl was named the Coach of the Year in this, a season in which he notched his 900th victory.
In all, 10 Rattlers also made the All-Conference First or Second Teams. The First-Team selections were: Holland, starting pitcher Greg Herbst (Sr., San Antonio), starting pitcher Carl O’Neal, Rivas, catcher Ryan Morrow (Sr., Bulverde, Texas), Migl, outfielder Jason Garcia (Sr., Falfurrias, Texas), and utility player Reagan Moczygemba (Sr., Bulverde, Texas).
Reliever Kyle Bumpas (Fr., El Paso, Texas) and utility player Weston Baros (Sr., San Antonio) each made the Second Team.
In addition, Herbst, Morrow, Migl, shortstop Esteban Raygoza (Jr., San Antonio) and Garcia were named to the All-Heartland Gold Glove Team. It marks the second straight year Morrow received the Gold Glove at catcher.
The Rattlers (42-8 overall) won the Heartland Conference regular-season title with a 27-3 record, with all three losses coming by a single run. They will play fourth-seeded Texas A&M International in the Heartland Conference Tournament at 5 p.m. Thursday at V.J. Keefe Field. The tournament runs from Thursday-Saturday, with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets cost $6 for adults and $3 for students and are available at the gate. A $15 tournament pass is also available.
For Tyler Migl, he marks the fifth Rattler to earn Heartland Conference Player of the Year honors, and the first since John Alvarez won the award in 2006. It’s also the fourth time a Rattler won the Pitcher of the Year honors, with Scott Shimek most recently doing it in 2008.
It also marks the 12th time in Charlie Migl’s career that he has earned Coach of the Year honors, including five Heartland Conference Coach of the Year awards. He was also honored by the league last season.
Tyler Migl leads the Rattlers in most statistical categories, including a team-high .392 batting average and six home runs. He has also drove in 37 runs and hit a team-high 20 doubles, which ranks second in the conference, to go along with a .980 fielding percentage.
Holland is 10-1 with a 3.14 ERA over 13 starts. He has also struck out 61 and walked only 28 batters in this, his second and final year as a Rattler. Just as impressively, Rivas has gone 4-0 with 13 saves as St. Mary’s closer, compiling an astounding 0.25 ERA. He gave up one run all season, and lasted most of the year with a clean 0.00 ERA. Rivas also was recently named a semifinalist for the prestigious Tino Martinez Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in all of NCAA Division II.
Herbst, an infielder last year, has posted a 7-3 record with a 2.20 ERA, which leads all of St. Mary’s starting pitchers. He has also struck out 78 batters, which leads the team.
Rounding out the members of St. Mary’s starting rotation that was honored, O’Neal is 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA. Most impressively this season, he carried a no-hitter into the 10th inning against St. Edward’s, only to give up his one and only hit of the game in the 10th. In the end, it went down as perhaps the greatest no-decision ever thrown by a Rattler.
Morrow, whose bat has been heating up of late, is hitting .268 with 23 RBIs and 28 runs scored. In addition, he has posted a .992 fielding percentage, with just three errors committed all season.
Garcia is second on the team with a .364 average and leads the Rattlers with 42 RBIs and six home runs, while also maintaining a .990 fielding percentage.
Meanwhile, Moczygemba, who has spent most of the season at third base, is batting .335 with 35 RBIs and three home runs.
In his first year of college baseball, Bumpas has posted a 7-0 record over 15 appearances, including one start. He has a 3.03 ERA and has struck out 27 batters.
Baros, a second baseman, has hit .310 with 35 RBIs and four home runs to go along with a .966 fielding percentage.
Raygoza, honored by the conference for his defensive prowess, has maintained a .954 fielding percentage and has turned 12 double plays this spring.