Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Southwestern University

Southwestern places five on All-SCAC postseason teams

Southwestern places five on All-SCAC postseason teams
Posted: Apr 30, 2016

SEGUIN, Texas – Five Southwestern baseball players were honored by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference during a ceremony on Friday night at Katt-Isbel Field, as the league announced its postseason all-conference teams.

Will Cates earned first-team All-SCAC honors for the second straight season in the outfield. Austyn Laird and Tyler Polasek landed on the second team, while Ethan Luna and Will Preston were named honorable mention.

Cates is among the league leaders in several offensive categories. The Houston product is hitting .391 with 11 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 23 RBIs. Additionally, Cates has stolen 27 bases in 32 attempts and has scored 40 runs. Cates, who was named the 2015 SCAC Player of the Year, has amassed 104 total bases, which translates to a .667 slugging percentage and he has reached base at a .463 clip in his senior campaign.

Laird, a junior, collected second-team laurels for the second straight season, but this year at shortstop. The Flower Mound native hit .323 in league play with four doubles, a triple and seven RBIs.

Polasek, a first-year player from Pearland, was 2-2 with a 2.48 in six starts against league opponents. Overall, the left-hander leads the Pirates' pitching staff with a 2.31 ERA in 46.2 innings.

Luna, a junior first baseman, was honored by the league for the second straight season. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, who was a second-team selection a year ago, ranks second on the team with a .338 batting average, nine doubles and four home runs. Luna also has amassed a team-high 39 RBIs.

Preston, a 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher, is an honorable mention pick for the second time. The Sugar Land native is 4-2 with a 3.92 ERA in 57.1 innings of work. Preston also has logged 49 strikeouts, including 20 in league action.

Trinity's Jeremy Wolf was named the league's player of the year, while Texas Lutheran's Nathan Malinovsky earned both conference pitcher and freshman of the year accolades. Greg Burnett received coach of the year laurels after leading the Bulldogs to a regular-season co-championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

Click here for the full teams.

Southwestern (16-24) will face Centenary in game four of the SCAC Championship at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Seguin.

– SOUTHWESTERN –