Wichita State's Damon Sublett has been named the 2006 Joe Carter Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Player of the Year, as voted on the by the league coaches. Sublett, a first-team all-conference athlete at second base, is the fourth Shocker in five years to win the award. Additionally, Wichita State's Aaron Shafer was voted Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Since the league has been honoring a Freshman of the Year (the award started in 1994), a Freshman of the Year winner has never won the Pitcher of the Year award in the same season. The remaining specialty award winner is Ben Norton of Evansville who is this year's Newcomer of the Year.
Despite fighting injuries and playing in 17 conference games, Sublett leads the league in batting with a .394 average. Overall, Sublett also leads the league in home runs (10) and runs batted in (45) this season. On the mound, Sublett has 13 appearances this season and seven saves on the year.
Shafer of Wichita State owns a 10-2 record heading into this week's tournament. In 90 innings pitched, the freshman has allowed just 21 earned runs for a 2.10 ERA, tops in the Valley, and 71 strikeouts. His outstanding efforts on the mound this season also earned Shafer Freshman of the Year honors. He was 6-1 in league games and his 1.69 MVC average is also the best in the Valley. Shafer allowed just 11 earned runs in conference play while striking out 52 batters faced in regular-season MVC play.
Ben Norton of Evansville is the Newcomer of the Year. Just the second pitcher in six years to earn the award, Norton made 17 appearances for UE this season and has an 8-3 record. His efforts helped his team win the league's regular-season title for the first time in school history.
Regular-season champion Evansville placed three players on the all-conference first team; Kasey Wahl at first base, Pat Tumilty at DH and Scott Souther as a relief pitcher. Rounding out the first team are Conor Gillaspie of Wichita State at third base; Nevin Ashley of Indiana State at catcher; Zach Daeges of Creighton at DH; Matt Brown of Wichita State, Grant Gerrard of Southern Illinois and Nolan Keane of Missouri State as outfielders; Brandon Magee of Bradley, Marc Lewis of Creighton and Shafer of Wichita State as starting pitchers and Chris Krawczyk of Missouri State as a reliever.
Featured on the second team is Brett Featherston of UNI at first base; Matt Lawson of Missouri State at second; Jake Eigsti of Indiana State at short and Ryan Anetsberger of Illinois State at third. Clay Coulter of Missouri State earned second-team honors as a catcher and Josh Workman of Wichita State is on the team at DH while Kirk Bacsu of Evansville is at UT. Brett Douglas of UNI, Chase Odenreider of Creighton and Kern Watts of Evansville are all second-team outfielders and Norton of Evansville, Adam Rogers of Evansville and Brett Sinkbeil of Missouri state are second-team starting pitchers. In relief is Brian Omogrosso of Indiana State and Noah Booth of Wichita State.
Twenty student-athletes were also named to the all-conference honorable mention squad. Student-athletes must receive at least two all-conference votes to be named as honorable mention.
2006 All-Conference First Team
1B, Kasey Wahl, Evansville
2B, Damon Sublett, Wichita State
SS, Brandon Douglas, UNI
3B, Conor Gillaspie, Wichita State
C, Nevin Ashley, Indiana State
DH, Pat Tumilty, Evansville
UT, Zach Daeges, Creighton
OF, Matt Brown, Wichita State
OF, Grant Gerrard, Southern Illinois
OF, Nolan Keane, Missouri State
SP, Marc Lewis, Creighton
SP, Brandon Magee, Bradley
SP, Aaron Shafer, Wichita State
RP, Chris Krawczyk, Missouri State
RP, Scott Souther, Evansville
All-Conference Second Team
1B, Brett Featherston, UNI
2B, Matt Lawson, Missouri State
SS, Jake Eigsti, Indiana State
3B, Ryan Anetsberger, Illinois State
C, Clay Coulter, Missouri State
DH, Josh Workman, Wichita State
UT, Kirk Bacsu, Evansville
OF, Brett Douglas, UNI
OF, Chase Odenreider, Creighton
OF, Kern Watts, Evansville
SP, Ben Norton, Evansville
SP, Adam Rogers, Evansville
SP, Brett Sinkbeil, Missouri State
RP, Brian Omogrosso, Indiana State
RP, Noah Booth, Wichita State
Honorable Mention
Erik Alvarez, Southern Illinois - 1B
Mark Frieske, UNI; Jesse Griswold, Illinois State - 2B
Ryan Curry, Bradley - SS
Brayden Drake Missouri State; Jason Newburger, Bradley - 3B
Kevin Dubler, Illinois State; Chris Gradoville, Creighton - C
Dan Brewer, Bradley; Scott Elmendorf, Southern Illinois - UT
Matt Bolt, Illinois State; Curt Bradley, UNI; Kris Jenkins, Illinois State; Kevin Koski, Southern Illinois - OF
Travis Banwart, Wichita State; Ross Detwiler, Missouri State, Jordan Powell, Southern Illinois, Adam Schaecher, Creighton - SP
Dusty Baker, Southern Illinois; Collin Brennan, Bradley - RP
Joe Carter Player of the Year: Damon Sublett, Wichita State
Pitcher of the Year: Aaron Shafer, Wichita State
Newcomer of the Year: Ben Norton, Evansville
Freshman of the Year: Aaron Shafer, Wichita State