LSU’s Crews, McNeese;s Foster highlight All-Louisiana College Baseball teams

LAFAYETTE – LSU outfielder Dylan Crews and McNeese right-hander Cameron Foster brought home top honors on Tuesday as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) released its 2022 College Baseball Team.

Crews, one of a state-best seven players from LSU named to the 37-member team, was selected as the state’s Hitter of the Year with Foster earning Pitcher of the Year honors. LSU’s Jacob Berry was the overwhelming choice as the state’s Newcomer of the Year with Louisiana Tech left-hander Ryan Harland tabbed as the state’s Freshman of the Year and LSU-Shreveport skipper Brad Neffendorf the state’s Coach of the Year.

The team, which comprised of student-athletes from 13 schools across the state, was selected in voting by the state’s baseball sports information directors and a statewide media panel.

Crews hit .349 with 22 home runs and 72 RBI for LSU en route to being named the SEC Co-Player of the Year along with first-team All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game, the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The Longwood, Fla., native led the SEC in runs scored (73) and was ranked in the top-10 in eight additional categories. Crews helped LSU to the Regional Championship Game at the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional and was voted to the All-Tournament team after batting .412 (7-for-15) with two doubles, one homer and four RBI.

Foster, the Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year, posted a 4-2 record with 12 saves and a 1.86 earned run average in 63.0 innings on the mound for McNeese. Foster led the SLC in six different categories on the season, including strikeouts (84), ERA, saves, opposing batting average (.164) and hits allowed (35).

The right-hander tied a single-season school record with his 12 saves while ranking among the overall Division I pitchers in hits allowed per nine innings (third, 5.0), WHIP (seventh, 0.87), ERA (ninth), saves (10th), and strikeouts per nine innings (37th).

Following current LSU head coach Jay Johnson from Arizona, Berry posted a .370 average with 15 home runs and 48 RBI in his lone season at third base in a Tiger uniform. The Queen Creek, Ariz., native earned second-team All-America honors by Perfect Game and the NCBWA and was a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA.

Berry, the sixth overall pick by the Miami Marlins in last week’s MLB Draft, finished fourth overall in the SEC in batting average and was fourth in on-base percentage (.464). He hit .400 in SEC action – the top average in the league – and added three doubles, five homers, 20 RBI and 18 runs scored. Berry garnered Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors after he batted .500 (9-for-18) during the week of March 9-13 with one double, three homers, seven RBI and seven runs.

Harland, a Baton Rouge native and former Parkview Baptist product, posted a 3-0 record on the mound in 19 appearances for Louisiana Tech where he was a second-team All-Conference USA pick and Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.

The southpaw tossed 24 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run in relief on the season for the Bulldogs and struck out a career-high eight batters while earning his first collegiate win at Marshall.

Neffendorf led LSU-S to a 53-8 overall record and a 31-2 mark in the Red River Athletic Conference. The RRAC Coach of the Year, Neffendorf helped the Pilots finish the season as a National Semifinalist for the fourth time in program history. LSU-Shreveport finished the regular season with a 47-3 record and clinched its seventh conference regular-season title in program history while setting a new conference and program-high for league wins. The regular season also saw the Pilots clinch the nation’s longest winning streak twice, once at 23 games, and the other at 13 games.

Foster, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Crigger, LSU’s Ma’Khail Hilliard and Kevin Miranda of LSU-Shreveport were selected as the first-team pitchers. Grambling’s John Garcia was selected as the first-team catcher with Berry, first baseman Carson Roccaforte (Louisiana), second baseman Amani Larry (New Orleans) and shortstop Taylor Young (Louisiana Tech) rounding out the infield.

Crews was joined in the first-team outfield by Tulane’s Ethan Groff and Louisiana Tech’s Cole McConnell, with Luke Clement of Loyola named the designated hitter and Grambling All-American Shemar Page chosen as the first-team utility player.

Second-team pitchers included Bo Bonds (Louisiana), Jonathan Fincher (Louisiana Tech), Paul Gervase (LSU) and Bobby Vath (LSU-Shreveport). Julian Brock of Louisiana was selected as the second-team catcher with first baseman Preston Faulkner (Southeastern Louisiana) and second baseman Cade Doughty (LSU) joined in the infield by the LSU-Shreveport tandem of Julian Flores (third base) and Austin McNicholas (shortstop).

Payton Harden (McNeese), Pearce Howard (New Orleans) and Steele Netterville (Louisiana Tech) comprised the second-team outfield with Louisiana’s Connor Kimple (designated hitter) joined by Centenary College utility player Preston Ludwick.

Named to the honorable mention team were pitchers Tyler Herrera (Centenary College) and Patrick Vienne (LSU-Eunice), catcher Jorge Corona (Louisiana Tech), first baseman Tre’ Morgan (LSU), second baseman Brad Burckel (McNeese), third basemen Allen Dennis (Loyola), outfielders Mason Holt (ULM) and Ryan Major (LSU-Shreveport) and designated hitter Brayden Jobert (LSU).

For more information on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, visit the official website at www.lswa.info.

2022 LOUISIANA SPORTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION COLLEGE BASEBALL TEAM

HITTER OF THE YEAR – Dylan Crews, LSU
PITCHER OF THE YEAR – Cameron Foster, McNeese
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Ryan Harland, Louisiana Tech
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Jacob Berry, LSU
COACH OF THE YEAR – Brad Neffendorf, LSU-Shreveport

FIRST TEAM
P – Kyle Crigger, Louisiana Tech – First-Team All C-USA; ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team
P – Cameron Foster, McNeese – NCBWA Third-Team All-America; SLC Relief Pitcher of the Year
P – Ma’Khail Hilliard, LSU – ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team
P – Kevin Miranda, LSU-Shreveport – NAIA Second-Team All-America; RRAC Pitcher of the Year
C – John Garcia, Grambling – ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team; First-Team All-SWAC
1B – Carson Roccaforte, Louisiana – ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team; First-Team All-Sun Belt
2B – Amani Larry, New Orleans – ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team; SLC Newcomer of the Year
3B – Jacob Berry, LSU – 4x All-America; ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team
SS – Taylor Young, Louisiana Tech – ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-America; C-USA Tournament MVP
OF – Dylan Crews, LSU – 4x All-America; SEC Co-Player of the Year
OF – Ethan Groff, Tulane – ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team
OF – Cole McConnell, Louisiana Tech – ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team; First-Team All C-USA
DH – Luke Clement, Loyola (N.O.) – First-Team All-SSAC; SSAC All-Tournament Team
Utility – Shemar Page, Grambling – Second-Team All-America; SWAC Pitcher of the Year

SECOND TEAM
P – Bo Bonds, Louisiana
P – Jonathan Fincher, Louisiana Tech
P – Paul Gervase, LSU
P – Bobby Vath, LSU-Shreveport
C – Julian Brock, Louisiana
1B – Preston Faulkner, Southeastern
2B – Cade Doughty, LSU
3B – Julian Flores, LSU-Shreveport
SS – Austin McNicholas, LSU-Shreveport
OF – Payton Harden, McNeese
OF – Pearce Howard, New Orleans
OF – Steele Netterville, Louisiana Tech
DH – Connor Kimple, Louisiana
Utility – Preston Ludwick, Centenary College

Honorable Mention
P – Tyler Herrera, Centenary; Patrick Vienne, LSU-Eunice; C – Jorge Corona, Louisiana Tech; 1B – Tre’ Morgan, LSU; 2B – Brad Burckel, McNeese; 3B – Allen Dennis, Loyola; OF – Mason Holt, ULM; Ryan Major, LSU-Shreveport; DH – Brayden Jobert, LSU.