May 19, 2008
ST. LOUIS -
University of Northern Iowa shortstop Brandon Douglas was named the Missouri Valley Conference Joe Carter Player of the Year, the league announced Monday. He becomes the fourth Panther to win the award. Brandon Douglas and Brett Douglas were both named to the All-MVC first team, and Dane Embury, Brett Featherston, Guido Fonseca and Joe Gonzalez were each second-team selections. Deric Manrique was an honorable mention pick. The awards are voted on by the league's coaches.
Brandon Douglas led the Panthers with a .402 batting average on the season, ranking second in the MVC, and he hit .426 in conference games. The junior also led UNI with 58 RBIs and 23 doubles. He was second on the team and fourth in the MVC with 10 home runs, and he had a team- and league-high .687 slugging percentage. This is the third year he has been tabbed the first-team all-MVC shortstop. The St. Charles, Iowa native joins Brian Jergenson (1997), Ryan Brunner (2001) and Adam Boeve (2003) as Panthers who have won the league's Player of the Year honor.
Brett Douglas was a first-team selection as a utility player. He hit .299 on the season, and drove in 33 runs for UNI. The junior from St. Charles, Iowa played in six different positions for UNI this season. He was a second-team all-MVC outfielder after his sophomore season in 2006.
This is the second time Featherston has earned second-team accolades at first base. He was a second-team pick after his sophomore campaign in 2006. This season, he leads UNI with 11 home runs, ranking third in the MVC. He has a .323 average on the season. Featherston, a senior from Epworth, Iowa, drew 46 walks on the year and set the UNI records for walks in a season and in a career.
Embury, a senior from Kelowna, British Columbia, earned second-team honors after hitting .356 on the season and .394 in conference play. The outfielder was third on the team with a .529 slugging percentage. He tallied 41 RBIs and drew 30 walks on the season.
Right-handed pitcher Guido Fonseca became the first Panther since 2001 to hold a 7-0 record when he reached the mark this April. The senior from West Covina, Calif., owns an 8-2 record and is second in the league with 93 strikeouts.
Senior reliever Joe Gonzalez leads the Valley with nine saves on the year. The senior from Montebello, Calif., has made 22 relief appearances for UNI, which ranks fourth in the MVC.
Manrique was an honorable mention selection as an outfielder. The junior from Sioux City, Iowa, hit .331 on the season, and he led the Panthers with 13 stolen bases. He holds a .424 on-base percentage, and he has not committed an error on the year.
The Panthers earned the No. 4 seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. They will face fifth-seeded Southern Illinois in the first round Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
All-Missouri Valley Conference Teams
First Team
C Mark Kelly, Southern Illinois
1B Darin Ruf, Creighton
2B Ryan Strausborger, Indiana State
SS Brandon Douglas, UNI
3B Conor Gillaspie, Wichita State
OF Andy Dirks, Wichita State
OF Ben Woodbury, Missouri State
OF Dan Brewer, Bradley
DH Ben Carlson, Missouri State
UT Brett Douglas, UNI
SP Tim Clubb, Missouri State
SP Rob Musgrave, Wichita State
SP Anthony Capra, Wichita State
RP Pat Venditte, Creighton
RP Matt Frevert, Missouri State
Second Team
C Kevin Dubler, Illinois State
1B Brett Featherston, UNI
2B Josh Workman, Wichita State
SS Dusty Coleman, Wichita State
3B Brayden Drake, Missouri State
OF Chris Schmidt, Indiana State
OF Colby Luttrell, Bradley
OF Dane Embury, UNI
OF Robbie Knight, Creighton
DH Clint McKeever, Wichita State
UT Chris Playter, Missouri State
SP Jeremy Hauer, Creighton
SP Guido Fonseca, UNI
SP Mike Nihsen, Creighton
RP Eric Theisen, Illinois State
RP Joe Gonzalez, UNI
Honorable Mention:
Grant Escue, 1B, Bradley; Matt Fritz, 2B, Bradley; Steve Winkelmann, 3B, Creighton; Tyler Lairson, 3B, Southern Illinois; Derek Melton, DH, Evansville; Brady Shoemaker, OF, Indiana State; Nick Ciolli, OF, Indiana State; Nolan Keane, OF, Missouri State; Deric Manrique, OF, UNI; Kenny Williams Jr., OF, Wichita State; Ryan Copeland, SP, Illinois State; Buddy Baumann, SP, Missouri State; Shawn Joy, SP; Southern Illinois, Aaron Shafer, SP, Wichita State; Kori Jensen, RP, Bradley; Adam Curynski, RP, Southern Illinois; Khol Nanney, RP, Wichita State.
Newcomer of the Year:
Jeremy Hauer, Creighton
Freshman of the Year:
Kevin Tokarski, Illinois State
Pitcher of the Year:
Tim Clubb, Missouri State
Joe Carter Player of the Year:
Brandon Douglas, UNI
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