Greensboro, N.C. - Freshman LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas), senior 1B/RHP Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas), and junior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) were all named to the 2022 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Team, it was announed on Wednesday.
Herrera earned a spot on the Second Team, Ludwick was a First-Team selection as a Utility player, and Primeaux landed on the Third Team. Herrera was recognized for the first time in his career by the organziations while both Ludwick and Primeaux were ABCA/Rawlings honorees last season.
The 2022 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Teams and Regional Players of the Year were announced in all 10 regions. The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America Committee.
ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team selections are nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-America teams will be announced on Thursday, June 2. The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners for all divisions will be announced Wednesday, June 22. The ABCA All-America Team was first recognized in 1949 and now includes nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division, and High School. ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were first recognized in 2007.
VIEW THE COMPLETE ALL-REGION TEAMS HERE: https://abca.org/ABCA/Awards/All-Region/NCAA_Div_III/2022.aspx
Herrera was sensational this past season as he was named both the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year and was also a First-Team All-SCAC selection. He was named both Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year on the 2022 D3baseball.com West All-Region Team announced on Tuesday and also earned First Team distinction as a starting pitcher. He was named to the D3baseball.com All-America team on Wednesday, earning a spot on the Second Team.
Herrera is the only Centenary player in the division III era (2012-present) to win both the conference Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards in the same season. He tied former Centenary star Taylor Henry for the lowest ERA in a season by any Centenary pitcher in the D3 era. He becomes just the second Centenary pitcher (Henry - 2015) to be named D3baseball.com All-Region Pitcher of the year and first to be named Rookie of the Year.
He finished in the top 10 in the country in ERA (1.59) and went 7-1 with two complete games. Herrera, whose ERA was under 1.00 for most of the season, made 16 appearances and nine starts and in 73.2 innings pitched allowed just 13 earned runs and 61 hits with 25 walks and 59 strikeouts. Herrera was a two-time SCAC Pitcher of the Week recipient, and was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Rookie of the Week on March 31.
Ludwick reached three individual milestones this season – 200 hits, 150 RBI, and 150 strikeouts on the mound. The versatile and dynamic Ludwick earned First-Team All-SCAC honors at first base, earning first-team all-conference honors for the third time in his stellar career. Ludwick was the leading hitter in the conference (.405) and ranked in the top 10 in the conference in multiple statistical categories and was also the team leader in batting average, hits, walks, doubles, RBI, and on-base percentage. Ludwick was also one of Centenary's top pitchers this season, going 5-4 with a team-leading 13 starts. He threw one complete game and struck out 58 batters in 60.2 innings pitched. Ludwick recorded his 150th career strikeout on May 8 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament. He played in all 46 games for the Diamond Gents and had 70 hits in 173 at-bats with 39 runs scored, 45 RBI, 33 walks and just 24 strikeouts. He hit five home runs, 11 doubles, three triples, and stole two bases. His OBP was .505 and he slugged .590. Ludwick had 25 multi-hit games this past season including six three-hit performances.
Ludwick had a 28-game hitting streak from Feb. 6-April 10 and recorded his 200th career hit on April 2 as he became just the fourth player in the current division III era (2012-present) in program history to record 200 or more hits in a career. He also became the 46th SCAC baseball player to reach 200 hits in his career. He recorded his 150th career RBI on April 23 versus Southwestern and ranks second in career RBI in the D3 era. Ludwick, named SCAC Hitter of the Week after getting his 200th career hit, was named to the 2022 SCAC Championship All-Tournament Team after hitting .357 (5-14) with a home run, four RBI, five walks, and a run scored.
Primeaux was one of the top pitchers in the conference all season and earned First-Team All-SCAC honors as the Relief Pitcher. Primeaux went 9-6 with a 4.09 ERA and had three saves and a pair of complete games. He led the team in wins, saves, innings pitched (83.2), strikeouts (81) and was tied for the lead in complete games with two. He made a team-high 22 appearances including eight starts and allowed just 73 hits and 46 runs (38 earned) with only 20 walks. He ranked in the top five in the SCAC in ERA, innings pitched, and strikeouts. He pitched 6.0 or more innings seven times during the season and pitched 3.0 or more innings in relief seven times. Primeaux picked up the save in Centenary's 2-1 win over Texas Lutheran on May 6 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament and now has 13 career saves as he is just four shy of the D3 era career record.
The Diamond Gents won the 2022 SCAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship for just the second time in the division III era (2012-present). The maroon and White finished 27-19 overall and 14-7 in SCAC play and its 27 wins are the third-most in a single season in the D3 era (2012-present). Centenary's memorable season came to an end on May 21 in LaGrange, Ga. when the Diamond Gents fell 14-9 to the Panthers after dropping a pair of games the day before to lose the "best of five" series 3-0.
Centenary claimed the SCAC title on May 8 in Cleburne, Texas with a 10-5 victory over nationally-ranked Trinity. Ten Diamond Gents earned All-SCAC honors this past season and seven were named to the 2022 SCAC Championship all-tournament team. The Diamond Gents' 12-8 win over Trinity on May 7 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament was head coach Mike Diaz's 275th win the program. He won his 250th game on Feb. 6 with a 6-2 home win over Willamette University.
See the complete Diamond Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/schedule
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings' unparalleled quality and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and an approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.
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