VANCOUVER - Senior shortstop
Sammie Starr earned a spot on both the 2010 NAIA West all-star and gold glove teams to lead a group of five UBC Thunderbirds who were recognized by the conference's coaches. UBC bench boss
Terry McKaig was also honoured, collecting his second straight NAIA West Coach of the Year award after leading the T-Birds to the league's regular season and playoff titles.
NAIA West All-Star and Gold Glove teams
Joining Starr on the all-star squad is pitcher
Sheldon McDonald, a junior left-hander, while second baseman
Alex White, centre fielder
Blake Carruthers, and pitcher
Mark Hardy were all awarded spots on the 2010 Rawlings-NAIA Conference Gold Glove Team.
Starr currently ranks third on the T-Birds with a .357 batting average, 14 doubles, and 38 RBIs while adding a team-high 13 stolen bases. He is also the anchor of a UBC defence that ranks second in the NAIA with a .975 fielding percentage and has tallied a team-high 168 assists from his shortstop position.
White, who along with Starr have been responsible for a litany of highlight reel plays in the UBC infield, sports an impressive .982 fielding percentage at second to go along with 116 assists. Carruthers and Hardy have each been spotless so far this season, with perfect 1.000 fielding efforts to their name.
McDonald, who is in his first season at UBC after transferring from Northeastern University, has been arguably the T-Birds most consistent starter on an outstanding staff. He leads the team with eight wins and his 2.80 ERA tops UBC starters on a staff that boasts the sixth best team ERA in the NAIA (3.49). McDonald is tied for the team lead with 57 strikeouts and has conceded only 14 walks.
Leading this group has been McKaig, who for the second straight year was honoured by his peers as the conference's coach of the year. In addition to both NAIA West titles, McKaig led UBC to a no. 3 spot in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, the highest ranking in program history. This is the third time McKaig has won the award, also picking up the distinction in 2006 when UBC was part of the Region I grouping.
The T-Birds, who clinched the conference playoff title and a spot in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round with a 11-3 win over Oregon Tech last Saturday, are waiting to hear where they will continue their postseason push towards a spot in the 2010 AVISTA-NAIA World Series. The opening round consists of nine five-team tournaments scheduled for May 18-21 across the USA. The winner from each tournament advances to the AVISTA-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, ID.
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