Zaleski named Bearkats’ MVP

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June 1, 2009

Riley tabbed SHSU’s Most Valuable Hitter

Anonymous The Huntsville Item Mon Jun 01, 2009, 11:53 PM CDT

Nick Zaleski, a senior four-year letterman from Sugar Land, has been named as the Most Valuable Player for the 2009 Sam Houston State baseball team.

Zaleski produced a .419 batting average this season, the highest individual season hitting mean by a Bearkat since Sam Houston State moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 1987. Zaleski is one of nine players in Bearkat history to produce a season average above .400

Starting 33 games at first base, 25 in left field and two as designated hitter, Zaleski led the Bearkats to a 36-24 record and the team’s third consecutive Southland Conference tournament crown and NCAA Division I regional berth. Zaleski earned both second team All-Southland Conference and All-SLC Tournament honors.

The MVP selection was one of four postseason awards voted upon by members of the 2009 Bearkat baseball squad.

Braeden Riley was voted as Most Valuable Hitter and Sean Weatherford was named Most Valuable Pitcher. Jacob Howard received the team’s Spirit Award.

Riley set Southland Conference and Sam Houston State records with 111 hits this season, a total currently leading NCAA Division I baseball. The sophomore from Woodville hit .387 and recorded 37 multiple-hit games. At one point during the season, Riley produced a 16-game hitting streak. He was a first-team All-Southland Conference selection and started all 60 games at second base.

Weatherford produced an 8-2 record as a freshman. The Bryan product led the Bearkats with 80 innings pitched and 77 strikeouts. He also had four saves.

Howard, a junior from West Columbia, pitched in 15 games, putting together a 4-4 record with 56 strikeouts.

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SHSU Sports

Time to crank it up
Sam Houston State head coach Willie Fritz knew coming into the season that he was going to have his hands full turning around the Bearkats’ football program.
The rest of the coaches in the Southland Conference apparently agree.
Coming off a 5-6 season, a fifth-place finish in league play and the loss of 15 starters, Sam Houston State has been tabbed to finish seventh in the SLC preseason coaches’ poll, which was announced Wednesday during the Southland Conference Football Media Day at the L’Auberge du Lac Resort.

July 28, 2010 1 Photo
Pitching dominates Triple-A All-Star Game
Like the Major League All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif., pitchers dominated the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday in Allentown, Pa.

July 14, 2010
Almost there
After years of toiling in the minor leagues, Dustin Martin can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Rising through the ranks of the minor league system all the way from Rookie League, the former Sam Houston outfielder is playing some of his best baseball these days and will play in Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game in Allentown Pa., which will be televised at 6 p.m. on the MLB Network.

July 10, 2010 1 Photo
Gallant shining again in Cape Cod League
Maybe, just maybe, on the mound closing games is where Dallas Gallant needs to be if he’s going to make a name for himself.
For the second summer in a row, the Sam Houston State pitcher has performed marvelously when he finishes games for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, a member of the distinguished Cape Cod Baseball League.

July 9, 2010
Bearkats enjoy banner year in classroom
With the release of grade point averages for the more than 400 Bearkats participating in varsity sports, plus the announcement by the Southland Conference office of the annual Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, the 2009-10 season goes in the books as another banner academic year for Sam Houston State University.

June 25, 2010
Belcher, Vilardi golf tournaments help rival football programs
Golfers in the Huntsville area can help the football programs at both Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin, two longtime rivals that soon will be adding new excitement to their annual “Battle of the Piney Woods” when they kick off this fall at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

June 17, 2010
Kelly ready for NCAA golf regional
When Sam Houston’s Scott Kelly tees off Thursday in the NCAA South Central Regional men’s golf tournament, his goal will be simple. He wants to become the first Bearkat golfer to earn a spot in the national tournament.
“As an at-large entry, it’s difficult to advance but it’s not out of the question,” Kelly said. “I’m going into the tournament with high expectations and will give it my best shot.”

May 19, 2010
Dreaming big
His mind has been working overtime. Huntsville senior Quenntin Tucker has spent the past two weeks preparing for the Class 4A Region III track meet.
Tucker practices the discus by day, then dreams about it at night. Physically and mentally, he’s ready for the big meet.
“I had a dream about this,” Tucker said last week during a short break from practice. “In the dream I finished second in our region, then I finished second at state.
“I woke up that morning smiling.”

May 1, 2010 1 Photo
Same old story
The Bearkats must’ve felt as if they had a little bit of déjà vu.
For the second straight Saturday, the Bearkats used a monster inning to climb out of a huge hole only to see it slip away.
This time, it was Stephen F. Austin, which rallied for five runs in the final two innings and held off Sam Houston for a 14-13 win.

May 1, 2010 1 Photo
UCA has Bearkat softball team on ropes
The Bearkats saw the light dim on their Southland Conference tournament aspirations Saturday afternoon.
Desperately in need of a series win to gain ground in the chase for the sixth and final seed, the Sam Houston State softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Central Arkansas.

May 1, 2010 1 Photo
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