May 10, 2006

2006 Lone Star Conference Baseball Awards
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The Lone Star Conference announced the 2006 postseason awards, and West Texas A&M University received six overall awards, headlined by head coach Mark Jones garnering his first Coach of the Year award and WTAMU's fifth of the school year. Junior infielder Matt Ray, along with sophomores Brian Schupp and outfielder Justin Graham, was elected second team All-LSC South Division team. Senior Patrick Wallis was honored for honorable mention as a relief pitcher. Junior Gabe Gonzalez was selected to the All-LSC Tournament Team for the shortstop position.

Jones, in his seventh season as head coach of the Buffs, has an overall record of 159-212 (.429). Selected to finish last in the preseason polls, Jones brought WTAMU to it's first ever LSC tournament appearance, going 26-27 in the regular season and 11-9 in LSC-South Division action. Jones served as an assistant to former Buff coach Todd Howey for five seasons before taking over in 1999, he received his master's degree from WTAMU in 1997.

WTAMU's head football coach Don Carthel, women's cross-country coach Kimberly Dudley, men's basketball head coach Rick Cooper and women's basketball head coach Bob Schneider also won Coach of the Year honors this school year.

Ray, a 5-10 transfer from Cisco Junior College, hit .343 on the season. He had nine doubles, two triples and three home runs, and was second on the team with 30 RBI. He hit .324 in conference play and had a .946 fielding percentage at second base. Ray played in 49 of the Buffs 55 games this year.

Schupp, a 5-10 third baseman from Prosper, Texas, hit .320 with five home runs and a team-high 37 RBI. After reaching his career mark for RBI in March, Schupp looked to have a good year. He started in 51 games for WTAMU, and had a slugging percentage of .483.

Graham, a 5-11 center fielder from Grapevine, Texas, was the team leader in batting, hitting 3.54 on the year. With his .406 on-base percentage, Graham was the fire starter for WTAMU offense. He appeared in 52 games for the Buffs, holding a .979 fielding percentage while roaming Potter County Memorial Stadium's center field.

Wallis, a senior transfer from Emporia State University, claimed honorable mention honors as the Buffs' closer in 2006. He posted a 5.20 ERA with a 4-3 record and six saves. Wallis also had two non-conference starts for WTAMU.

Gonzales, a 5-6 junior transfer from Sylmar, California, was elected to the All-Tournament team as a shortstop. Gonzalez hit .286 with two RBI during the tournament, but what won the award was his stellar defense. He posted a 1.000 fielding percentage on nine plays and turning one double play, making numerous throws from deep in the hole.

WTAMU went 26-29 overall this season, winning 20+ games for the first time since their 31-17 mark in the 2002 campaign. The Buffs will lose only four players from the 2006 squad, returning eight position players and all of their starting rotation. They reached the LSC tournament for the first time since joining the conference in baseball in 1994.