Oklahoma City – After Texas won its first regular season title since 2011, Kody Clemens took home Big 12 Player of the Year and David Pierce garnered his first Big 12 Coach of the Year accolade. In total, six Longhorns earned All-Big 12 distinction. Clemens became the first Longhorn to pick up Player of the Year honors since Kyle Russell in 2007.
Baylor’s Cody Bradford was tabbed Pitcher of the Year, while Oklahoma State’s Matt Kroon was named Newcomer of the Year. For the second year in a row, a Texas Tech player was named the Freshman of the Year. Josh Jung took home the honor in 2017, while Gabe Holt was named the Conference’s top rookie in 2018.
The All-Big 12 team and awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.
Clemens leads the Big 12 and is tied for fifth nationally with 19 home runs this season. In league play, the junior from Houston has a league-leading .837 slugging percentage. He is the first Longhorn since 2008 to collect at least 19 home runs and 60 RBIs.
Bradford compiled a 2.60 earned run average in 12 starts this season, while pitching two complete games and notching a pair of shutouts. In league play, the sophomore boasted a 1.88 ERA with a 4-3 record, while fanning 49 and walking 13 in 52.2 innings pitched.
Holt led all freshmen with a .341 batting average and tied for a league-high 27 stolen bases. The Bonaire, Georgia, native strung together 74 hits, 17 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs in 53 contests this season.
After transferring to Oklahoma State from Central Arizona Community College, Kroon collected a .296 batting average with 58 hits and 11 homers in 51 games. In league contests, the junior paced the Big 12 with 28 runs and 12 doubles.
Texas Tech led the league with five All-Big 12 First Team selections, while Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas had three honorees each. In total, Baylor had seven All-Big 12 honorees followed by six from Texas.
A total of six student-athletes earned unanimous All-Big 12 First Team distinction. In addition to Texas’ Clemens, Baylor catcher Shea Langeliers, Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin, Texas Tech infielder Josh Jung, Texas Tech outfielder Grant Little and West Virginia infielder Kyle Gray were unanimous first team selections.
On the All-Freshman Team, TCU led the way with four honorees: infielder Coby Boulware, left-handed pitcher Augie Mihlbauer, infielder Adam Oviedo and right-handed pitcher Caleb Sloan.
2018 All-Big 12 Baseball Awards
Player of the Year: Kody Clemens, Texas, Jr., INF, Houston, Texas/Memorial
Pitcher of the Year: Cody Bradford, Baylor, So., LHP, Aledo, Texas/Aledo
Newcomer of the Year: Matt Kroon, Oklahoma State, Jr., INF, Scottsdale, Ariz./Central Arizona CC
Freshman of the Year: Gabe Holt, Texas Tech, INF, Bonaire, Ga./Veterans
Coach of the Year: David Pierce, Texas
All-Big 12 First Team
Shea Langeliers, Baylor+% C So. Keller, Texas/Keller
Josh Jung, Texas Tech+% INF So. San Antonio, Texas/MacArthur
Davis Wendzel, Baylor%@ INF So. San Clemente, Calif./Jserra Catholic
Kody Clemens, Texas INF Jr. Houston, Texas/Memorial
Gabe Holt, Texas Tech INF Fr. Bonaire, Ga./Veterans
Kyle Gray, West Virginia@ INF Jr. Blanco, Texas/Blanco
Steele Walker, Oklahoma^! OF Jr. Prosper, Texas/Prosper
Duke Ellis, Texas OF So. Nacogdoches, Texas/Panola College
Grant Little, Texas Tech% OF So. Midland, Texas/Midland Christian
Will Brennan, K-State+% UTL So. Stilwell, Kan./Blue Valley
Zach Zubia, Texas DH Fr. Richmond, Texas/Strake Jesuit
Zach Rheams, Texas Tech DH Sr. Angleton, Texas/Brazoswood
Cody Bradford, Baylor LHP So. Aledo, Texas/Aledo
Jake Irvin, Oklahoma*@ RHP Jr. Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
Carson Teel, Oklahoma State LHP Jr. Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater
Caleb Kilian, Texas Tech RHP So. Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound
Austin Hansen, Oklahoma RHP Jr. Lenexa, Kan./Olathe Northwest
Durbin Feltman, TCU@! RHP Jr. Conroe, Texas/Oak Ridge
All-Big 12 Second Team
Colin Simpson, Oklahoma State@ C Jr. Edmond, Okla./Memorial
David Hamilton, Texas% INF So. San Marcos, Texas/San Marcos
Andy Thomas, Baylor INF So. Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta
Brylie Ware, Oklahoma^ INF Jr. Sedgwick, Kan./ Neosho CC
Matt Kroon, Oklahoma State INF Jr. Scottsdale, Ariz./Central Arizona CC
Michael Neustifter, Oklahoma State INF So. Carrollton, Texas/Hebron
Jon Littell, Oklahoma State OF Sr. Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater
Josh Watson, TCU! OF Jr. Arlington, Texas/Martin
Darius Hill, West Virginia@& OF Jr. Dallas, Texas/Dallas Jesuit
Nick Loftin, Baylor UTL Fr. Corpus Christi, Texas/W.B. Ray
Richard Cunningham, Baylor@ DH Jr. Austin, Texas/Stephen F. Austin HS
Ryan Zeferjahn, Kansas RHP So. Topeka, Kan./Seaman
Nathan Wiles, Oklahoma RHP So. Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West
Nick Lodolo, TCU+% LHP So. LaVerne, Calif./Damien
Blair Henley, Texas RHP So. Fort Worth, Texas/Arlington Heights
Troy Montemayor, Baylor^# RHP Sr. San Antonio, Texas/Reagan
Andy McGuire, Texas RHP Jr. Oakton, Va./James Madison HS
Honorable Mention
Baylor – Josh Bissonette, Joe Heineman, Hayden Kettler
Kansas – James Consentino, Ryan Cyr, Devin Foyle, Jaxx Groshans, Zack LeBan
K-State – Drew Mount
Oklahoma – Connor Berry, Cade Harris, Brady Lindsly, Kyle Mendenhall, Kyler Murray, Brandon Zaragoza
Oklahoma State – Peyton Battenfield, Trevor Boone, Christian Funk, Joe Lienhard, Carson McCusker, C.J. Varela
Texas – Parker Joe Robinson; TCU – A.J. Balta, Adam Oviedo
West Virginia – Tyler Doanes, Ivan Gonzalez, Marques Inman, Isaiah Kearns, Kade Strowd, Brandon White, Braden Zarbnisky
All-Freshman Team
Davion Downey, Baylor OF Bowling Green, Ky./Warren East
Nick Loftin, Baylor UTL Corpus Christi, Texas/W.B. Ray
Tyler Thomas, Baylor SP Keller, Texas/Keller
Levi Prater, Oklahoma LHP Ada, Okla./Byng
Coby Boulware, TCU INF Anthem, Ariz./Boulder Creek
Augie Mihlbauer, TCU LHP Mukwonago, Wisc./Mukwonago
Adam Oviedo, TCU INF Grandview, Texas/Alvarado
Caleb Sloan, TCU RHP Centennial, Colo./Regis Jesuit
Kamron Fields, Texas UTL Garland, Texas/Lakeview Centennial
Zach Zubia, Texas DH Richmond, Texas/Strake Jesuit
Gabe Holt, Texas Tech 2B Bonaire, Ga./Veterans
Tyler Doanes, West Virginia UTL Fayetteville, Ga./Whitewater
* Unanimous Choice
^ 2017 First Team Honoree
+ 2017 Second Team Honoree
@ 2017 Honorable Mention
% 2017 All-Freshman Team
2016 First Team Honoree
& 2016 Second Team Honoree
! 2016 Honorable Mention
You can read the full press release here.
