May 22, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Baylor sophomore shortstop Beamer Weems was named first-team All-Big 12 Conference by the league's coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday. Five other Bears were honorable mention: sophomore outfielder Ben Booker, freshman third baseman Raynor Campbell, junior relief pitcher Nick Cassavechia, senior catcher Matt Czimskey and freshman starting pitcher Kendal Volz.
Regular-season conference champion Texas claimed player and pitcher of the year honors with outfielder Kyle Russell winning the former and starting pitcher Adrian Alaniz winning the latter. Missouri catcher Trevor Coleman was named Freshman of the Year, while Texas A&M pitcher David Newmann and his teammate shortstop Brandon Hicks shared Newcomer of the Year honors. Texas' Augie Garrido and Missouri's Tim Jamieson were named co-Coaches of the Year.
For a full listing of the All-Big 12 teams, visit www.Big12Sports.com.
Baylor has produced 26 first-team All-Big 12 selections in the league's 11-year history, third in the conference. Six of the league's 10 teams had players on the 2007 first team; Texas led the way with five first-team selections, followed by Texas A&M and Oklahoma State with three each, Missouri with two, and Baylor and Kansas State with one each.
Elsewhere Tuesday, Campbell was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. The publication named Campbell and Weems first team and Czimskey second team. Campbell is the third Baylor player to be named Big 12 Freshman of the Year by any outlet; Jason Jennings was so honored by the Austin American-Statesman in 1997, and Zane Carlson was so honored by the league's coaches in 2000.
Weems earns coaches' all-conference honors for the second consecutive season, earning second-team honors as a freshman in 2006. He enters this week's Big 12 Championship hitting .311 on the season with eight home runs and 52 RBI. Weems was even stronger in Big 12 play, hitting .316 (eighth in the league) with five home runs and 27 RBI in 24 games. He also has committed only 10 errors in 276 chances this season.
Campbell ranks 13th in the Big 12 with a .345 batting average, best among the league's freshmen. He also has 11 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 27 RBI. In Big 12 play, Campbell hit .317 with four doubles, two home runs, 20 runs and 15 RBI in 27 games.
Booker is hitting .317 on the season with two home runs, nine doubles and 31 RBI. He leads the conference and ranks 30th nationally with seven triples, and he ranks second on the team in runs (43) and stolen bases (10). In Big 12 play, Booker hit .333 with one home run, 10 RBI, two doubles, two triples, 18 runs and six stolen bases in 26 games.
A member of the 35-man National Stopper of the Year Watch List, Cassavechia is 6-1 on the season with eight saves and a 2.09 ERA. In 43.0 innings over 25 appearances, he has recorded 63 strikeouts against only 14 walks and has held opponents to a .224 batting average. Cassavechia was 3-1 in league play with three saves and a 2.43 ERA, ranking fifth in the conference.
Czimskey claimed the 2007 Big 12 Conference batting title, hitting .386 in league play. It marked the second consecutive year in which a Baylor catcher accomplished the feat after Zach Dillon's school-record .421 average in Big 12 play last season. Czimskey hit all five of his home runs in Big 12 play, where he ranked second in slugging percentage (.752). On the season, Czimskey is hitting .353 with 10 doubles and 27 RBI in 37 games.
Volz was the only freshman in the Big 12 to start each weekend of conference play. He is 5-2 on the season with a 5.16 ERA. In 59.1 innings over 16 appearances with 12 starts, Volz has recorded 50 strikeouts against only 15 walks. He was 3-2 with a 5.50 ERA, logging 36 strikeouts against nine walks in 37.2 innings.
Baylor returns to action Wednesday, opening play in the 2007 Big 12 Conference Championship at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City against No. 21 Oklahoma State. First pitch between the sixth-seeded Bears and the third-seeded Cowboys is scheduled for 8 p.m. CDT.
NOTES: Baylor baseball announced three of its five team awards Monday. Senior pitcher Jeff Mandel was honored with the Judge Fred "Red" Harris 110 Percent Award, which is selected by team members. Weems was named Thornton Sterling Player of the Year, which is selected by Baylor's Heart of the Order booster club. The coaching staff also awarded the Spring Award for Academic Excellence to Jake Weghorst; Tim Hartland was so honored last fall. The Larry Isbell Most Valuable Player Award and the Ted Lyons Most Valuable Pitcher Award, both of which are determined by cumulative point totals in key statistical categories, will be named after the season's completion.
