Hamilton, McFadden Named C-USA Player, Freshman Of The Year
May 23, 2006 | Baseball
May 23, 2006
HOUSTON, Texas - Tulane University baseball standouts Mark Hamilton and Warren McFadden claimed Conference USA Player and Freshman of the Year honors, respectively, the league announced Tuesday on the eve of the 2006 Conference USA Tournament.
The pair also claimed first-team All C-USA honors and were joined on the squad by sophomore right-hander Sean Morgan. Senior centerfielder Nathan Southard was named to the second team, and McFadden claimed a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
Hamilton gives Tulane its seventh C-USA Player of the Year title in the 11-year history of the league, joining former Green Wave greats Chad Sutter (1999), Jake Gautreau (2000 & 2001), James Jurries (2002), Michael Aubrey (2003) and Micah Owings (2005). McFadden, meanwhile, is the sixth Green Wave rookie to be named C-USA Freshman of the Year, joining Sutter (1996), Jurries (1999), Aubrey (2001), J.R. Crowel (2003) and Brad Emaus (2005).
A 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI honoree, Hamilton earned the recognition after leading the team in home runs (17), RBI (61), total bases (130) and slugging percentage (.644) while ranking second in walks (45), runs scored (53) and on-base percentage (.455), third in batting average (.332) and hits (67). He leads team with 16 multiple-RBI games, including five four-RBI games a season-high five against Stephen F. Austin (April 21) on the strength of two home runs.
Hamilton also ranks third on the team with 21 multiple-hit games, including a 4-for-4 showing against Oral Roberts (March 12). The C-USA Co-Hitter of the Week on May 1, he had a 14-game hitting streak from March 5-28 when he hit .390 (23-for-59) with four doubles, four homers and 21 RBI. McFadden leads the Green Wave in batting average (.390), hits (80), doubles (21) an on-base percentage (.463) while ranking second on the club in RBI (43), third in runs (47), total bases (108) and slugging percentage (.527) and fourth in stolen bases (tied with six).
He paces Tulane with 28 multiple-hit games, including a 4-for-5 game against Southern Miss (May 13), and is third on the team with eight multi-RBI games, including four RBI against Jackson St. (March 28) and Stephen F. Austin (April 23). McFadden had a 21-game hit streak - which is tied for second longest in TU history - from April 2-May 7 when he hit .467 (39-82) with 10 doubles, a home run and 21 RBI.
Morgan, one of 20 initial invitees to the 2006 USA Baseball National Team trials, represents the third Green Wave hurler to earn first-team all-league honors in as many years. He currently leads the team in ERA (3.23), innings pitched (103.0), strikeouts (116) and opponent batting average (.212) while tying for the team lead in wins (8).
Morgan posted double-digit strikeout totals on five occasions, including three 11-K contests and a career-best 13 while allowing just two hits in a complete-game effort against Stephen F. Austin. He fanned 11 and did not allow a walk in an 8.0-inning start against UCF (4/14) and has was named LSWA Pitcher of the Week on March 21, C-USA Pitcher of the Week on April 17, C-USA and LSWA Pitcher of the Week on April 24, and LSWA Pitcher of the Week on May 15.
Southard, a first-team All C-USA honoree in 2005, leads the team in stolen bases (26), triples (4) and runs scored (54) while ranking second in batting average (.344), home runs (7), hits (72), total bases (115) and slugging percentage (.550) and on-base percentage (.450), and third in doubles (14) and RBI (39).
He ranks second on club with 22 multi-hit games, including seven three-hit outings and a 4-for-5 showing at UAB. Southard also ranks third on the club with nine multiple-RBI outings, including three-RBI days at Memphis, vs. Southern Miss and at UAB. He had a 13-game hitting streak from March 3-24 when he hit .385 (20-for-52) with two doubles, two triples, a home run, four RBI and 10 steals, and was named LSWA Hitter of the Week on May 15.
Tulane returns to action on Wednesday, May 24, when the third-seeded Green Wave take on No. 6 seed East Carolina at 9 a.m. in the opening game of the 2006 Conference USA Tournament at Rice's Reckling Field in Houston, Texas. The winner of the C-USA Tourney earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, which begin on Friday, June 2.
ALL-CONFERENCE USA TEAMS
First Team
C - Jake Smith (East Carolina)
INF - Adam Amar (Memphis)
INF - Brian Friday (Rice)
INF - Isa Garcia (Houston)
INF - Mark Hamilton (Tulane)
INF - Marc Maddox (Southern Miss)
OF - Toddric Johnson (Southern Miss)
OF - Warren McFadden (Tulane)
OF - Matt Weston (Houston)
DH/UT - Brad Lincoln (Houston)
P - Tim Bascum (UCF)
P - Eddie Degerman (Rice)
P - Brad Lincoln (Houston)
P - Sean Morgan (Tulane)
RP - Cole St. Clair (Rice)
Second Team
C - Kevin Coker (Southern Miss)
INF - Josh Rodriguez (Rice)
INF - Joe Savery (Rice)
INF - Trey Sutton (Southern Miss)
INF - Adam Witter (East Carolina)
OF - K.K. Chalmers (Memphis)
OF - Aaron Luna (Rice)
OF - Nathan Southard (Tulane)
DH/UT - Brendan Murphy (Marshall)
P - Bobby Bell (Rice)
P - Craig Crow (Rice)
P - Scott McGregor (Memphis)
P - Brody Taylor (East Carolina)
RP - Daniel Best (Southern Miss)
All-Freshman Team
• Luke Adkins, OF (Southern Miss)
• Travis Cougot, SS (Houston)
• Dave DiNatale, OF (UCF)
• Brian Dozier, SS (Southern Miss)
• Michael Ewing, 1B (Southern Miss)
• Luis Flores, C/P (Houston)
• Mitch Houck, P (UCF)
• Aaron Luna, OF (Rice)
• Warren McFadden, OF (Tulane)
• Scott McGregor, P (Memphis)
• Ryan Wood, INF (East Carolina)
C-USA Player of the Year
Mark Hamilton (Tulane)
C-USA Pitcher of the Year
Brad Lincoln (Houston)
C-USA Freshman of the Year
Warren McFadden (Tulane)
Keith LeClair Coach of the Year
Wayne Graham (Rice)
