University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Baseball Collects Six Conference USA Selections
5/21/2019 1:55:00 PM | Baseball
Both Matt Wallner and Walker Powell Picked to First Team
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss baseball program earned six selections Tuesday as part of Conference USA's postseason awards in a vote by the 12 league coaches and baseball sports information directors, as well as selected media members.
Juniors Matt Wallner (Forest Lake, Minn.) and Walker Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.) earned First-Team selections, while senior Hunter Slater (Mobile, Ala.), junior Bryant Bowen (Shreveport, La.) and sophomore Gabe Montenegro (Guatemala City, Guatemala) all collected Second-Team honors. Third baseman Danny Lynch (Jupiter, Fla.) garnered a spot on the All-Freshman squad.
Wallner, a three-time C-USA selection, batted .315 with 12 doubles and 19 home runs to go along with 51 RBI. He became the school's all-time home run leader last Saturday by hitting two dingers in the regular-season finale against UAB to give him 54 for his career.
Powell, who will throw the C-USA Tournament opener Wednesday in a 12:30 p.m., contest against Rice at MGM Park in Biloxi, posted a 6-2 record with a 2.58 ERA during the regular season, leading the squad in innings pitched (83 2/3), starts (13), complete games (3), shutouts (1) and strikeouts (64). His strikeout-to-walk ratio (tied-14th/6.40), as well as his walks per nine innings (9th/1.08) rank nationally.
Slater earns his first all-league selection in the infield on the strength of a .314 batting average with 10 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and a team-best 56 RBI. Earlier this season, Slater tied school records for home runs (3) and RBI (8) in a game at New Orleans (4/24). He ranks fourth at the school in career walks (130), tied for sixth in games played (232) and ninth for both runs (179) and RBI (176).
Montenegro, the team's leadoff hitter and left fielder, enters the C-USA Tournament with a 15-game hitting streak and a .333 batting mark with eight doubles, four triples, four home runs and 19 RBI. He also leads the team with 58 runs and 67 hits.
Bowen, who has split time at both catcher and designated hitter, collected DH honors on the strength of a team-high .337 batting average with 10 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 46 RBI. Earlier this season, Bowen posted a 22-game hitting streak, which is tied for eighth longest in school history.
On the freshman team, Lynch collected a .295 batting average to go along with five doubles, a home run and 30 RBI. He played in all 53 games his initial season and made 51 starts. He enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak at one point during the year.
Fans can follow this week's C-USA Baseball Tournament by clicking here.
Here is a look at the first and second teams:
First-Team All-Conference
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bryan Arias, Sr., UTSA
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mason Mallard, Jr., Louisiana Tech
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Elvis Peralta, Jr., Marshall
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Vinnie Pasquantino, Jr., Old Dominion
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Andy Garriolla, Fr., Old Dominion
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jake Sanford, Jr., WKU
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Matt Wallner, Jr., Southern Miss
CÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Harris Yett, Sr., Charlotte
DHÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Andre Dunlap, Sr., Rice
UTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Logan Allen, So., FIU
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Matt Canterino, Jr., Rice
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Karan Patel, Sr., UTSA
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Walker Powell, Jr., Southern Miss
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Blake Sanderson, Sr., Florida Atlantic
RPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Braxton Smith, Sr., Louisiana Tech
RPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Zach Schneider, Sr., Florida Atlantic
Second-Team All-Conference
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Trei Cruz, So., Rice
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Austin Shenton, Jr., FIU
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hunter Slater, Sr., Southern Miss
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bryce Windham, Sr., Old Dominion
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Parker Bates, Jr., Louisiana Tech
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gabe Montenegro, So., Southern Miss
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Andru Summerall, So., Florida Atlantic
CÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Pedro Pages, Jr., Florida Atlantic
DHÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bryant Bowen, Jr., Southern Miss
UTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Peyton Wiggington, So., Middle Tennessee
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Joshua Shapiro, Sr., Marshall
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Evan Kravetz, So., Rice
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Matt Miller, Sr., Louisiana Tech
SPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ryne Moore, So., Old Dominion
RPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hunter Gregory, So., Old Dominion
RPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Colby Bruce, Jr., Charlotte
All-Freshman Team
3BÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Josh Haney, Charlotte
IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Danny Lynch, Southern Miss
OF/IFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luke Edwards, Marshall
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jarrett Ford, FIU
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mitchell Hartigan, Florida Atlantic
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Andy Garriola, Old Dominion
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ryan Teschko, Old Dominion
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jess Davis, UAB
OFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jackson Swiney, WKU
LHPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jonathan Fincher, Louisiana Tech
RHPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Josh Young, Middle Tennessee
SS/RHPÂ Â Â Â Â Jacob Josey, Florida Atlantic
