Sophomore outfielder Tyler Naquin was recognized as Big 12 Player of the Year and Rob Childress earned co-Coach of the Year honors Tuesday as the pair highlighted a list of 12 Aggies to be honored by the league’s coaches.
Along with fellow outfielder Krey Bratsen and pitcher Ross Stripling, Naquin represented the Aggies on the All-Big 12 first team, while pitchers John Stilson and Michael Wacha earned second team accolades. Catcher Kevin Gonzalez, first baseman Jacob House, shortstop Kenny Jackson, utility man Matt Juengel and third baseman Adam Smith were honorable mention selections while second baseman Charlie Curl and Bratsen were also named to the All-Freshman team.
Naquin becomes the third Aggie to win Big 12 Player of the Year honors, following in the footsteps of Jose Duran in 2008 and Jason Tyner in 1998. The right fielder came into his own during his second year in the league to lead the Big 12 in hitting with a .392 average, including a sizzling .404 clip during conference play. The Spring, Texas, native also led the league in runs scored with 54 while pacing the Aggies with 16 doubles, six triples and 40 RBI.
Additionally, he accomplished one of baseball’s rarest feats and began to turn heads early in the season as he became the first Aggie since 2007 to hit for the cycle during a win over Houston at the Houston College Classic on March 6. Naquin continued to be the talk of the Big 12 in April and May as he notched a Big 12-long 27-game hitting streak that left him one shy of the Texas A&M school record.
Childress, meanwhile, earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors for the second time during his tenure after also receiving the accolade in 2008. He shares the honor with Texas’ Augie Garrido after the two skippers guided their teams to a share of the Big 12 Championships during the regular season. After being picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll, Childress guided Texas A&M to its sixth Big 12 Championship and fourth regular season crown while standing on the verge of leading the program to an unprecedented fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Stripling, a junior from Southlake, Texas, put together a 12-2 record with a 1.89 ERA to tie Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Taylor Jungmann of Texas for the most wins on the mound. The right-hander was one of the league’s steadiest hurlers all season, ranking in the top four in the Big 12 in wins (12), strikeouts (89), innings pitched (95.0), opponent batting average (.193), complete games (3) and shutouts (1).
Bratsen, a local product from Bryan, Texas, appeared in all 56 games for the Aggies and emerged as one of the top freshman in the nation during his rookie campaign. For the year, he ranked fourth in the Big 12 with a .349 average, including a .380 clip during conference play that was second only to Naquin for tops in the league. A terror on the base paths, Bratsen ranked third in the league with 26 steals, including a league-high 15 in Big 12 play. He also contributed 34 runs, 31 RBI and eight extra base hits on the year.
Stilson, a junior from Texarkana, Texas, turned in a 5-2 record on the hill this season with a 1.68 ERA in 91.1 innings pitched. Texas A&M’s series-opening starter the entire season after earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors as a closer a season ago, the right-hander ranked among the Big 12 leaders in innings pitched (91.1), strikeouts (92), opponent batting average (.229).
Wacha, a Freshman All-American a season ago, rounded out the Aggies’ impressive weekend rotation which saw all three of its members received All-Big 12 recognition. The Texarkana, Texas, native when 6-3 with a 2.47 ERA during the regular season and finished second in the Big 12 with 97 strikeouts in 94.2 innings of work. He tossed two complete games on the year while holding opponents to a .252 average.
Gonzalez was once again a rock behind the plate for Texas A&M this season as he earned All-Big 12 recognition for the third time in his career. The Houston native hit .239 with four home runs and 17 RBI while serving as the backstop for the dominating pitching staff and shutting down opposing running games.
House, a Mansfield, Texas, native started all 56 games for the Aggies at first base following a one-year layoff after transferring from Arkansas. In addition to his flashy defense, House batted .281 during the regular season with 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 28 RBI.
Jackson, a Corpus Christi product, was a mainstay this season and started all 56 games as Texas A&M’s shortstop. In addition to his steady defense, Jackson contributed a .283 average with six doubles, a pair of home runs, 23 RBI and 29 runs scored.
Juengel, a Houston native who was a second team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, started 55 games for the Aggies, splitting time between designated hitter and third base. Hitting exclusively in the heart of the A&M order, the junior batted .298 with 18 extra base hits, 22 runs scored and 39 RBI.
Smith, a Spring, Texas, native, rounded out Texas A&M’s honorable mention selections after playing in 40 games this spring. The third baseman notched 11 extra base hits with 21 runs and 17 RBI, while stepping up his game in Big 12 play to hit .274 in league action.
Joining Bratsen on the All-Freshman team, Curl, an Amarillo native, has started 30 games this season and seen action as a reserve in 18 others, primarily at second base. He finished the regular season with a .278 batting average with 18 runs, four doubles, a home run and 17 RBI.
Texas A&M will begin its run at the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday when the second-seeded Aggies take on No. 7 Texas Tech in a 4 p.m. contest at RedHawks Ballpark.