SAN ANTONIO – The 2023 Southland All-Conference Baseball teams were announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Steve Hayward was crowned the Relief Pitcher of the Year, while Rey Mendoza earned Newcomer of the Year. Mendoza, Hayward, and Alec Carr received first-team honors, with Hernan Yanez making a second-team appearance. Jimmy De Leon and Carr represented UIW on the All-Defensive Team.
 
Closer, Hayward threw a season-high 11 strikeouts against the University of Louisiana Monroe and finished the regular season with a 7-3-7 record through 45 innings pitched for a 2.56 ERA. In the UIW 2023 season record book, he currently holds the lowest opponent batting average with .185 and is second for most strikeouts per a nine-inning game with 13.40. Hayward is fourth in the SLC, but number one in the SLC for games finished with 19 and saves (7).
 
Mendoza has been the go-to guy for the Cardinals all season, with three walk-off homers to hand UIW crucial victories. He had a season-high three hits against McNeese and five RBIs against HCU. Mendoza leads the team in runs with 48 and in RBIs with 60 which puts him first in the conference and in the UIW season record book.
 
For the season record book, Carr is second in triples with five and in home runs with 12. He is also set to finish with the highest slugging percentage and enter the UIW career record book, currently sitting at .562. He has a season-high three hits against Lamar, with two home runs and six RBIs against the University of Louisiana Monroe. Carr leads the team in triples with five on the season and in home runs with 12 (third in the SLC). He finished the season 9-12 on stolen bases.  
 
Yanez was a key factor for the Cardinals this season. He was named to the Buster Posey Award Watchlist and totaled 62 hits and 37 RBIs. He had a season-high three hits and four RBIs at Nicholls along with two doubles at Grambling State. Yanez leads the team in doubles with 14 on the season.  
 
Second baseman, De Leon, started 50 games for the Cardinals with a season-high four hits at Grambling State and six RBIs against the University of Louisiana Monroe, and two doubles against HCU. DeLeon is fourth in the conference in batting average (.352), while leading the Cardinals in hits and on-base percentage. Defensively, he finished the regular season with a .995 fielding percentage.

Player of the Year: Ryan Snell, Lamar
Hitter of the Year: Tristan Moore, New Orleans
Pitcher of the Year: Grant Rogers, McNeese
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Steve Hayward, UIW
Freshman of the Year: Jacob Mayers, Nicholls
Newcomer of the Year: Rey Mendoza, UIW
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: Mike Silva, Nicholls
 
2022 All-Southland Conference First Team

Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
1B	Edgar Alvarez	Nicholls	Jr.	Orlando, Fla.
2B	Tyler Bischke	New Orleans	Jr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.
3B	Michael Dattalo	Northwestern State	Fr.	Keller, Texas
SS	Parker Coddou	Nicholls	Jr.	Thibodaux, La.
C	Ryan Snell	Lamar	Sr.	Hardin, Texas
DH	Rey Mendoza	UIW	Gr.	Eagle Pass, Texas
OF	Xane Washington	Nicholls	R-Sr.	Houma, La.
OF	Tristan Moore	New Orleans	Jr.	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
OF	Brendan Ryan	A&M-Corpus Christi	Sr.	Leawood, Kan.
SP	Grant Rogers	McNeese	Jr.	Groves, Texas
SP	Jacob Mayers	Nicholls	Fr.	Gonzales, La.
SP	Brandon Mitchell	New Orleans	Sr.	Houston, Texas
RP	Steve Hayward	UIW	R-Sr.	Flower Mound, Texas
U	Alec Carr	UIW	Sr.	Sugar Land, Texas

 
2022 All-Southland Conference Second Team
 

Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
1B	Anthony Herron, Jr.	New Orleans	Sr.	Chicago, Ill.
2B	Brad Burckel	McNeese	Sr.	Lindale, Texas
3B	Reed Chumley	HCU	Jr.	Cypress, Texas
SS	Jake Haze	Northwestern State	Jr.	Highlands Ranch, Colo.
C	Hernan Yanez	UIW	Sr.	San Luis, Ariz.
DH	Tre Jones	A&M-Corpus Christi	Jr.	Houston, Texas
OF	Mitchell Sanford	New Orleans	R-So.	Berwick, La.
OF	Jeffrey Elkins	Northwestern State	Sr.	Lafayette, La.
OF	Samuel Benjamin	HCU	Jr.	Katy, Texas
SP	Brooks Caple	Lamar	Jr.	Gunter, Texas
SP	Hunter Hesseltine	Lamar	So.	Topeka, Kan.
SP	Alex Makarewich	Northwestern State	Jr.	Keller, Texas
RP	Gavin Galy	Nicholls	R-So.	Orlando, Fla.
U	Max Puls	A&M-Corpus Christi	Sr.	Palm Desert, Calif.

2022 Southland Conference All-Defensive Team

Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
1B	Edgar Alvarez	Nicholls	Jr.	Orlando, Fla.
2B	Jimmy DeLeon	UIW	Sr.	El Paso, Texas
3B	Alec Carr	UIW	Sr.	Sugar Land, Texas
SS	Parker Coddou	Nicholls	Jr.	Thibodaux, La.
C	Ryan Snell	Lamar	Sr.	Hardin, Texas
LF	Cooper Hext	McNeese	Jr.	DeQuincy, La.
CF	Tyler Finke	Southeastern	Gr.	Columbus, Ind.
RF	Xane Washington	Nicholls	R-Sr.	Houma, La.
P	Grant Rogers	McNeese	Jr.	Groves, Texas

 
 

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