HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – With a bow now firmly tied on the 11
th season of Great American Conference regular season baseball and with the league's top eight squads set to convene in Hot Springs at the all-new Majestic Park for the annual postseason tournament, the GAC announced its all-conference teams and superlative award winners on Thursday afternoon.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown and following the 33-game regular season slate it was
Justin Pettigrew's Muleriders that claimed the regular season hardware for the sixth time as a GAC member after a 27-6 conference record that saw SAU win 10 of its 11 league series which included 11 straight wins to open GAC action and six series sweeps.
Along with the responsibility of wearing the aforementioned crown comes a spoil of honors and the haul brought in by the Muleriders and Pettigrew, who was named the GAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his six years leading the program, is impressive. Freshman sensation
Jeremy Adorno garnered GAC Pitcher of the Year as a unanimous selection, was named the league's Newcomer of the Year and was lauded as one of two unanimous All-GAC First Team honorees. Eight additional players were named to All-GAC teams with three others joining Adorno with first-team plaudits, four others were placed on the league's All-Defensive team and three players were honored for scholastic achievement.
Southern Arkansas opens postseason play on Saturday as the top seed in the eight-team tournament. The Muleriders will matchup against Arkansas Tech in a 12:40 p.m. first pitch from the Spa City. Live coverage links are available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
Listed below are Mulerider Baseball's 2022 All-GAC honorees.
Jeremy Adorno
Unanimous GAC Pitcher of the Year
GAC Newcomer of the Year
Unanimous All-GAC First Team (SP)
It would be hard to imagine a better scripting of a first season as a Mulerider than the one Adorno produced over 13 regular season starts. The Kissimmee, Florida native wasted no time etching his name into the program record book as his first outing in the SAU Blue and Gold saw the freshman sensation fire a seven-inning, seven-strikeout no-hitter, the sixth in the program's NCAA Era, of Missouri Western on February 6; three months to the date of the Puerto Rico native becoming the third pitcher in the program's GAC Era to garner league POTY honors.
A transfer from Hill College, Adorno's fiery start turned into a season-long flame as he currently leads the country in strikeouts (119), ranks second in wins (13) and finishes the GAC regular season as the leader in complete games (7), earned run average (2.16), earned runs allowed (21), runs allowed (23), opposing batting average (.178), hits allowed per nine (5.65), strikeouts looking (39), and strikeouts per nine (12.22), while ranking second in WHIP (0.99), hits allowed (55) of which only ten are for extra bases and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.72). Impressively, all of these numbers come behind the league-lead in innings pitched at 87.2.
He struck out no fewer than six batters in any start this season, produced eight outings with at least eight punch outs and registered ten-plus Ks six times, including a season-high 15 in a February 19 home win over Northwestern Oklahoma State where he allowed only five base runners in seven innings of work. The 15 strikeouts tied him with SAU Sports HOFer Hayden Simpson for the second-most all-time in a single game in program history.
His 119 total strikeouts this spring are the third-most by a Mulerider in a single season and he is one away from becoming just the second different player to record 120 strikeouts in any single campaign in program history. Adorno became just the fifth different Mulerider pitcher to top the century mark in strikeouts in a single season.
This spring, Adorno collected five Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week honors which are the second most in a single season in league history and tie him for the most weekly honors in a single career by a Mulerider. Adorno became the first player in league history to capture a weekly honor in three consecutive weeks. He became the first Mulerider arm since 2015 to capture an NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 23) honor and he was named the department's Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year (April 20).
Justin Pettigrew
GAC Coach of the Year
Pettigrew earns his second GAC Coach of the Year nod after claiming the honor following his first regular season as head coach in 2017. This season, the Muleriders won 37 regular season games following a 15-1 start to the campaign with 27 victories in GAC play which included ten series wins. Offensively, Pettigrew's squad produced the league's second-best team batting average at .310, led the league in runs scored with 465 and walks with 273, ranked second in doubles with 100, home runs with 85 and stolen bases with 65, while ranking third in hits with 482.
SAU holds 11 top 20 statistical rankings nationally and among the marks that land in the top ten are walks, complete games, HBP, home runs, and shutouts.
The pitching staff's collective 4.52 ERA ranks second in the GAC as does the group's 402 strikeouts, while the 220 runs allowed are the fewest in the league and 365 hits allowed are the third-fewest.
Always one to make it about his players, Pettigrew's squad which features five first time All-GAC honorees with three players earning the plaudit in their first season in Magnolia.
Brett McGee
All-GAC First Team (C)
GAC All-Defensive Team (C)
In his fourth season in Magnolia, McGee continued to unleash his powerful swing near the top of the Southern Arkansas order, while also providing leadership and direction for a pitching staff that saw all three of its weekend starters garner All-GAC accolades. He enters postseason play as one of four Muleriders to start in all 48 regular season games.
Offensively, the Pittsburg, Texas native hit .289 with 46 hits of which were nine doubles and 11 home runs. He totaled 88 bases behind a slugging percentage of .553. In nine games, McGee recorded multiple hits, he carried a seven-game hitting streak and is tied for the team lead in multi-RBI games with 18. His on-base percentage of .487 ranked third on the team and fifth in the GAC and at one point he had reached base safely in 44 consecutive games this season. His 50 runs scored (4
th – SAU) were tied for the 11
th most in the conference and the 58 RBI (2
nd – SAU) that he was responsible for ranked fifth. His five sacrifice flies ranked second in the GAC at the conclusion of the regular season.
As solid as McGee has been swinging the bat, arguably his biggest contribution to the Mulerider order has been his ability to not swing in addition to the toughness he brings to the plate each time he steps into the left batter's box. McGee's 43 walks are the second-most in the GAC and rank tenth nationally. On April 5, he became the program's career leader in walks drawn with 123. He currently has 137 for his career and is just eight walks back of taking over the GAC career mark. Additionally, his 23 HBP are the most by a GAC player this season and rank fifth in DII.
In addition to the numbers above produced by the 230 appearances at the plate from the junior catcher this season, McGee's glove work behind it has been just as impressive. In 397 chances, McGee has registered the fourth-most putouts in the GAC at 360 and he has sat down 16 potential base stealers, while collecting 33 assists to only four errors in producing a .990 fielding percentage. He has managed a pitching staff that finished the regular season second in team ERA at 4.52 and second in total strikeouts with 402.
Riley Orr
All-GAC First Team (SS)
Orr has been spectacular this season. The junior shortstop out of Springhill, Louisiana finished the regular season as the team leader in batting average at .376 which ranks ninth in the GAC and in on-base percentage at .509 which ranks tied for second and is aided by 30 walks and eight HBP.
Orr, who has played and started in 44 games this season, has recorded 50 hits, which included a seven-game hitting streak, and is one of five players with at least 15 multi-hit games. Of his half century hit total, Orr has tallied three doubles, two triples and six home runs as a mainstay in the No. 9 spot of the Mulerider order. His placement in the lineup has helped spark numerous middle inning run-scoring showcases by the Muleriders this season. Additionally, Orr has delivered 45 RBI, totaled 75 bases, and stolen 11 while striking out a team-low 23 times this season.
At one point this campaign, Orr owned a 33-game reached base safely streak and enters postseason play having reached safely in nine-consecutive games. A dozen times this season Orr has recorded a multi-RBI game which includes three games with at least four RBI.
Defensively, the rangy shortstop's 89 assists are the 11
th most in the GAC entering tournament play and he recorded 44 putouts to just seven errors in 44 regular season games, while helping turn eight double plays.
Ty Manning
All-GAC First Team (OF)
GAC All-Defensive Team (OF)
SAU's Comeback Player of the Year in 2021-22 after battling multiple injuries to not only return to full strength, but to also posts several improved statistics, Manning's spring slate has greatly benefitted the Muleriders at the plate, in the field and on the base paths.
A native of Flower Mound, Texas, Manning has played and started 43 games this season as the Muleriders' primary centerfielder. He is hitting .344 with 53 hits, which includes 15 multi-hit games, and is second on the team in extra-base knocks with 24 total which includes 15 doubles (T9th in GAC), two triples and seven home runs. He carried a 12-game hitting streak, the second-longest by a Mulerider this season, earlier in the campaign. His 53 runs scored are the eighth-most in the GAC and his 41 RBI are the fifth-most in the conference. Manning has accounted for 11 multi-RBI games this season.
Getting on base certainly hasn't been an issue for the Texan as he owns an on-base percentage of .440 courtesy of the second-most HBP in the league at 20, a top 15 mark nationally, to go along with eight walks. Once Manning has reached base, he doesn't seem to hang around any one bag long as his 21 steals lead the GAC. He reached base safely in a dozen-straight games at one point this season.
Manning has certainly been a tough out at the plate as his 26 strikeouts are the second-fewest among teammates with at least 40 starts in 2022.
The production with the glove has been equally as good. The league's top centerfielder defensively, Manning has recorded 93 putouts with two assists in 95 chances to field 1.000 roaming the outfield this season.
Jacob Womack
All-GAC Second Team (SP)
Womack's contributions to the Muleriders this spring have been vital. A winner of six games this spring in 11 starts with one complete game as an arm in the weekend rotation, the right hander tossed 67.1 innings with 81 strikeouts which are the fourth-most in the Great American Conference. His strikeouts per nine innings of 10.83 also ranks fourth in the GAC, while his opponent batting average of .246 ranks 8
th and his ERA of 4.68 currently stands at 11
th. Womack's WHIP of 1.37 ranks second among Mulerider starters
A native of Henderson, Texas, Womack went at least 5.0 innings in ten of his 11 starts this spring. He logged seven or more innings on four occasions which included an eight-inning effort at Ouachita that resulted in him allowing just four hits and a single run, while fanning a dozen. It was the second 12-strikeout outing for Womack after he punched out 12 in a win over Northwest Missouri in his second start of the season. He recorded seven or more strikeouts in a start seven times this spring.
Brandon Nicoll
All-GAC Second Team (3B)
A first-year Mulerider nestled near the top of the order, Nicoll exploded in the regular season leading the GAC in doubles (21), which rank 14
th nationally, and ranking in the top five in the league with a team-leading 67 hits (5
th GAC) and a team-leading 60 RBI (4
th GAC), while ranking fourth in runs scored with 58; the second-most by a Mulerider this spring. Of his 67 hits, nearly half have went for extra bases courtesy of the aforementioned blackjack total in two baggers, one triple and ten home runs. Nicoll is currently four doubles away from becoming only the fourth Mulerider in program history with 25 doubles in a single season.
His 23 multi-hit games lead the team as do his nine games with at least three hits. His 18 multi-RBI games are tied with McGee for the team lead and he owns two of the team's six five-hit performances this season.
A native of Langley, British Columbia, Nicoll's average of .330 and slugging percentage of .591 both rank in the top five on the team, while his on-base percentage of .403 is aided by 20 walks and seven HBP. He has added five stolen bases this season as well. His 22-game reached base safely streak at one point during the season is the fourth longest by a Mulerider this spring.
One of four players to start all 48 regular season games for the Muleriders, Nicoll is the lone player in the GAC to enter postseason play with 200+ at bats, while his 233 total plate appearances rank second. His 120 total bases lead the team and rank eighth among GAC hitters.
Tucker Burton
All-GAC Second Team (DH)
GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
A native of Granger, Texas, Burton's final campaign in Magnolia has been a powerful one. In 48 starts, he is hitting .313 with 52 hits of which 22 have went for extra bases and include a team-leading 14 home runs, which rank eighth in the GAC, seven doubles and a triple. His 103 total bases are the second-most on the team and he owns an on-base percentage of .457 which is fourth among everyday players and at one time held a 13 game reached base safely streak. Burton's 38 walks, the third-most on the team, rank fourth in the GAC and are a top 25 mark in Division II.
His 52 RBI so far this season are tied for ninth in the GAC and his 15 games with multiple RBI are the third-most on the team and he is one of just fix players with a five-plus RBI performance this season. With a slugging percentage of .620, which is tops among Muleriders with 40 starts or more, Burton owns a team-leading 1.077 OPS.
The GAC Player of the Week on March 7 following a 4-0 week for the Muleriders, Burton's first weekly honor came behind a .538 batting average, seven hits, three of which left the yard, seven RBI, four runs and four walks. He slugged 1.308 and posted an on-base percentage of .647.
In addition to his athletic honor, Burton was one of three players named a GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. A nominee for the Murphy USA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Burton holds a 3.73 GPA. In December, he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management with an emphasis in Athletic Administration. He is currently in his first semester of grad school pursuing a Master's Degree in Kinesiology-Coaching.
Wyatt Marr
All-GAC Honorable Mention (SP)
With two of SAU's three weekend rotation arms mentioned above, the average fan might miss the season produced by first year Mulerider
Wyatt Marr. And that would be a grave mistake. The southpaw out of Frisco, Texas should be flying under no opponent's radar after a 13-appearance regular season which included a dozen starts, one complete game and saw the transfer arm rack up a 7-1 record; the fourth-most victories this season in the GAC.
In 66.1 innings pitched, Marr has accrued 47 strikeouts, owns an ERA of 3.93, which currently stands as the seventh-best mark in the GAC and comes as a result of the third-fewest earned runs allowed at 29, and a WHIP of 1.48. Opponent bats are hitting south of .275 against him and have managed just 15 extra base hits in 257 at bats.
Marr registered five or strikeouts in five starts with a season-high eight coming in his final outing of the regular season. On six occasions, he allowed four or fewer hits and in eight appearances opponents managed no more than two runs off of him.
Chris Sutton
All-GAC Honorable Mention (2B)
GAC All-Defensive Team (2B)
A native of Wake Village, Texas, Sutton not only filled a void at the top of Pettigrew's lineup entering the '22 campaign, but he excelled in it. The leadoff second baseman posted top five GAC marks in runs scored (62 2
nd), a top 35 mark nationally, HBP (20 2
nd), walks (41 3
rd) and on-base percentage (.498 4
th), while leading the league in total plate appearances with 235. His base on balls total is a top 15 mark in Division II as is his total in HBP.
Sutton enters postseason play with a .327 batting average, a slugging percentage of .515 and an on-base clip of .502. He has delivered 30 RBI with seven multi-RBI games and of his 56 hits, 21 have went for extra bases which includes 15 doubles, one triple and five home runs to go along with three stolen bases. In 18 of his 48 starts, Sutton recorded a multi-hit game which stands as the second-most by a Muleriders this season and he recorded a hit in nine-straight games.
Sutton is one of five Muleriders to have recorded a reached base safely streak of at least 20 games this spring as his longest such mark stood at 22.
There was no better defensive second baseman than Sutton in '22 as he ranked 12
th in the GAC in assists with 88, added 96 putouts with only four errors in 188 chances as he nearly posted a fielding percentage of 98% in addition to being a catalyst in 18 of SAU's 22 double plays this spring.
Jacob Martinez
GAC All-Defensive Team (OF)
Martinez has appeared in 37 games for Southern Arkansas this spring with 27 starts. His ability defensively landed the Haltom City, Texas native on the league's all-defensive team after the outfielder was perfect in 55 regular season chances which included 53 putouts and two assists. Of the two assists, the most notable came in the series against Henderson State as the Reddies regained the lead in the fifth inning of the April 1 series opener with an RBI single and nearly had a two-run advantage had it not been for the strong arm of Martinez in left field who mowed down what would have been HSU's fifth run of the night at the plate for the second out in the frame. That effort would allow SAU to walk off the Reddies four innings later.
The senior hasn't just got it done in the field, but has been successful at the plate as well with an average of .297, 33 hits, ten for extra bases highlighted by six doubles to go along with 32 runs scored and 17 RBI. He has walked 25 times, been HBP once and owns an OBP of .428.
Jack Liddell
GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
Liddell, who has served as an important piece of the SAU pitching staff this season whether out of the bullpen or in a starting role, earns the distinguished scholar-athlete distinction as a result of carrying a 3.78 GPA in Business Administration: Financial Planning.
This season, the Mississauga, Ontario native has made 13 appearances with four starts and a 3-2 record overall and one save. In 27.1 innings pitched, Liddell has totaled 18 strikeouts and allowed only nine extra base hits in 110 at bats.
Evan Schroeder
GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
Schroeder's academic recognition comes as a result of the Brenham, Texas native carrying a 3.70 GPA in Business Administration: General Business. Schroeder has appeared in six games out of the bullpen for the Muleriders this spring. In 8.0 innings of work, he has struck out 11.
