May 21, 2001

WACO, Texas - Catcher Kelly Shoppach was named Big 12 player of the year and six other Baylor baseball players also received recognition on the All-Big 12 team as voted on by the Big 12 coaches and released by the league Monday.

Joining Shoppach on the All-Big 12 first team are outfielder Chris Durbin and right-handed pitcher Steven White. Bears who were named to the second team are Matt Williams (DH) and Justin Taylor (RHP), while honorable mentions were given to second baseman Trevor Mote and pitcher Paul Thorp.

Shoppach, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, led the team in hitting all season and currently boasts a .399 average. Behind the plate, he has recorded a .997 fielding percentage and committed just one error in 391 chances this season. Shoppach has also thrown out 23-of-35 base stealers and the Big 12 steals leader, Texas Tech, did not attempt to steal on Shoppach during the three-game series.

Wylie, Texas, native Durbin, has started all 57 games at center field for the Bears. He is second on the team with a .365 batting average, and leads the squad in home runs with 14 and mulitiple-hit games with 29. Durbin has also been outstanding in the field, committing just four errors and notching a .971 fielding percentage.

White, a sophomore from League City, Texas, led the conference in the ERA category for most of the season. A regular starter in the Bears' conference rotation, White has a 10-3 record and a 3.06 ERA in 94 innings. He has tossed three complete games and leads the team with 76 strikeouts.

No. 25 Baylor (35-22) travels to Houston, Texas, this weekend for the NCAA Regional at Reckling Park on the campus of Rice University. The Bears will play Houston on Friday in the first game of the double-elimination tournament.