With the 2009 baseball regular season done with, the Heartland Conference released the All-Heartland Conference Baseball First and Second Teams on Monday.

31 student-athletes were selected by the head baseball coaches of the conference and University of the Incarnate Word was well represented on both teams – as well as the individual awards.

Earning special recognition for the Cardinals was a pair of pitchers, one at the end of his UIW career and the other just starting his.

Senior Chris Armijo spent the 2009 season frustrating opposing batters and coaches with an 11-0 record, a 2.22 ERA and 81 innings pitched and was named the Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year. The lefty threw five complete games, striking out a team-leading 81 batters and allowed just 54 hits against in 284 at-bats.

Earning Freshman of the Year accolades was UIW pitcher Kirk Jewasko, who put together a 6-4 record in his first season in the red and black. Jewasko, another lefty on the Cardinals' staff, finished the year with a 3.31 ERA and a team-leading 84 1/3 innings pitched (including three complete games). He battled through 335 at-bats and was second on the team in strikeouts with 70.

Armijo was named to the All-Heartland Conference First Team while Jewasko earned a spot on the Second Team.

Joining Armijo on the First Team were Reno Malay and Chris Pacheco.

Malay, an infielder who saw time at first, third, shortstop and catcher, started every game for the Cardinals in 2009, piling up 180 at-bats in 223 plate appearances and a .361 batting average along the way. The junior led Incarnate Word in RBIs with 72, doubles (19) and home runs (7) while he was Top 5 on the team in Slugging Percentage (.583), Runs Scored (54), Hits (65), Total Bases (105) and Sac Flies (6).

Centerfield in 2009 for UIW was handled by Pacheco, a senior who earned Hitter of the Week awards three times in 2009 and started every game for the Cardinals out in the grass. Pacheco's batting average was an impressive .439 as he led the team in hits (79), Runs Scored (65) and Stolen Bases (27). In the field, he had only two errors for a fielding percentage of 98.4.

On the Second Team, Jewasko was joined by shortstop Tyler Jett and outfielders Tyler Hicks and Drew Hamilton.

Jett, a senior who started all 51 games he started in 2009, had a batting average of .377 with 61 hits and 45 RBI while scoring 34 runs. In the field, he assisted on 123 outs.

Hicks, the Cardinals' leadoff hitter nearly the entire season, started all 53 games for UIW. His batting average was .343 and in 207 at-bats, he had 71 hits (second on the team) which included 14 doubles, 5 triples and 5 homers. He also was credited with 30 RBI.

Hamilton, another 53-game starter for Incarnate Word in the outfield, had a .321 batting average in 193 at-bats with 62 hits and 36 RBI. In the field, he caught 75 fly balls for outs and was only credited with one error on the season for a 98.8 fielding percentage.

In all, the entire UIW outfield was named to either the First or Second Teams while the starting shortstop, two starting pitchers and third/first baseman were also named to an all-conference team – giving Incarnate Word seven starters being recognized for a season in which the team finished 36-17 and in second place in the Heartland Conference.

Texas-Permian Basin's Logan Forest was named the conference's Player of the Year while UTPB manager Brian Reinke was named Coach of the Year for leading the Falcons to first place.