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News Nuggets, 05.25.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

ECU lands 6 on Wave-flavored all-league team

A day after East Carolina was passed over completely in the naming of Conference USA's all-decade baseball team, Pirates Brian Cavanaugh (OF) and Ricky Brooks (P) were named Tuesday to the 2005 All-Conference USA first team.

Cavanaugh and Brooks joined a first unit that included five players from regular season league champion Tulane, which also produced a league-high four selections on the 11-member all-decade team named Monday.

ECU's Mark Minicozzi, an infielder, and T.J. Hose, a pitcher each earned second-team honors for the all-league team announced at the site of the C-USA Baseball Tournament in Hattiesburg, while Hose and teammates Dale Mollenhauer (IF) and Ryan Peisel (OF) were named to the all-freshman team.

Tulane captured three of the conference's top 2005 individual awards as utility player Micah Owings was selected player of the year, third-baseman Brad Emaus took home freshman of the year honors and head coach Rick Jones was named the Keith LeClair Coach of the Year.

The prestigious LeClair award is named after the former East Carolina head coach, who courageously battles the malady he was diagnosed with in 2001, Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Texas Christian's Lance Broadway was named the C-USA pitcher of the year.

On Monday, former Tulane stars accounted for a league-high four selections on the 11 member All-Decade team, led by slugger Jake Gautreau, the league’s only two-time Player of the Year and a first-round Major League draft pick ub 2001.

Ballots for the 2005 all-conference teams and individual honors were cast by a panel consisting of the head coach and sports information director from each school and a media representative from each of the league's cities.

2005 CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL AWARDS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Micah Owings, Tulane

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Lance Broadway, Texas Christian

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Brad Emaus, Tulane

KEITH LECLAIR COACH OF THE YEAR

Rick Jones, Tulane

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

IF Shelby Ford, Texas Christian
IF Brad Emaus, Tulane
IF Marc Maddox, Southern Miss
IF Tommy Manzella, Tulane
OF Brian Cavanaugh, East Carolina
OF Nathan Southard, Tulane
OF Travis Tully, Houston
C Brad Willcutt, Southern Miss
DH/UT Micah Owings, Tulane
P Brian Bogusevic, Tulane
P Lance Broadway, Texas Christian
P Ricky Brooks, East Carolina
P Matt Farrington, Houston
RP Daniel Best, Southern Miss

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

IF Jeff Baisley, USF
IF Chad Huffman, TCU
IF J.T. LaFountain, Louisville
IF Mark Minicozzi, East Carolina
IF Trey Sutton, Southern Miss
OF Jason Lowery, Southern Miss
OF Boomer Whiting, Louisville
OF Adam Willard, Charlotte
C Greg Dini, Tulane
DH/UT Kevin Roberts, Houston
P Ryan Bird, Saint Louis
P J.R. Crowel, Tulane
P T.J. Hose, East Carolina
P Casey Hudspeth, South Florida
RP Erik Walker, Charlotte

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Brad Emaus, IF, Tulane
T.J. Hose, RHP, East Carolina
Matt McGuirk, DH, Texas Christian
Dale Mollenhauer, IF, East Carolina
Keith Moreland, RHP, Charlotte
Sean Morgan, RHP, Tulane
Ryan Peisel, OF, East Carolina
Trey Sutton, IF, Southern Miss
Daniel Thomas, RHP, South Florida
Clint Toomey, OF, UAB
Andrew Walker, C, Texas Christian

C-USA BASEBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM

Jake Gautreau, Tulane (1999-2001)
Kevin Youkilis, Cincinnati (1998-2001)
Brad Sullivan, Houston (2001-03)
Shane Nance, Houston (1997-2000)
Kyle Crowell, Houston (1998-2000)
Mark Jurich, Louisville (2001-2004)
Jeff Cook, OF, Southern Miss (2000-03)
Michael Aubrey, Tulane (20001-03)
James Jurries, Tulane (1999-2002)
Chad Sutter, Tulane (1996-99)
Ross Gload, South Florida (1995-97)

PLAYER OF THE DECADE

Jake Gautreau, Tulane (1999-2001)

COACH OF THE DECADE

Rick Jones, Tulane (1996-present)

Compiled from ECU Athletics and Conference USA reports.

A&M dumps baseball coach after 800-plus wins

COLLEGE STATION, TX — Texas A&M fired longtime baseball coach Mark Johnson on Monday following a 30-25-1 season in which the Aggies finished next-to-last in the Big 12 Conference.

Hired in 1985, Johnson went 876-433-3 in two decades as head coach after two seasons as an assistant under Tom Chandler.

``I'm really hurt right now,'' Johnson said, who guided A&M to the College World Series on two occasions. ``We've won enough that the expectations are there. I knew we weren't doing well. I wasn't blind to that. I had hoped that it wouldn't be resolved by a termination.''

But after the Aggies lost 11-1 to rival Texas on Sunday night, the long bus ride home was capped by the news that Johnson would be replaced.

``I respect and admire Mark for his character ... However, our baseball program did not meet our expectations, and I feel we need a change in direction,'' Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne said.

Johnson led the Aggies to the College World Series in 1993 and '99, and Texas A&M made 13 appearances in the NCAA playoffs. Johnson-led teams reached the round of 16 nine times.

The Aggies won the Big 12 Conference regular-season crown in 1998 and '99 and also won the Southwest Conference championship in 1986, '89 and '93 under Johnson.

``I am most proud of the young men who have come through our program,'' Johnson said. ``The players worked hard on the baseball diamond and also handled themselves with class off the diamond.''

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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