WACO, Texas – The #24 Louisiana Christian University baseball team saw five of its members honored as All-Red River Athletic Conference players, three on the first team, the RRAC office announced on Friday.
The three members named to the first team were
Matthew Cody,
Kade Linn, and
Colton Williams while
Chris Kelley and
Brandon Carter found their names listed among the second team.
Cody, a junior outfielder from Hammond, La., proved to be one of the best hitters in the country, hitting at a .404 average for the season, including .492 in conference play. He had five doubles, a triple, and three home runs on the year while knocking in 28 runs and scoring 29 times throughout the season. He also stole 10 bases in 12 attempts. In the field, he recorded 63 outs and had an assist without committing an error.
Linn, a graduate student right-handed pitcher from New Iberia, La., turned into one of the best arms in the RRAC, amassing a 10-1 record with a 2.52 ERA. In 75 innings pitched, which included four complete games with two of those being shutouts, he allowed just 21 earned runs with 97 strikeouts compared to 23 walks. Opposing batters had a .213 average off him with 58 base hits while he struck out 11.6 batters per game. He was a three-time RRAC Pitcher of the Week during the season.
Williams, a senior right-handed pitcher from Rayville, La., became LCU's shutdown guy out of the pen, finishing with a 2-0 record while racking up six saves throughout the season which led the conference. In 29 innings of work, he had a 1.86 ERA while opposing hitters only had a .194 batting average off him. He allowed 20 hits and six earned runs with 39 strikeouts and 12 walks during the year.
Kelley, a redshirt junior infielder from Pineville, La., hit .382 for the season with a .804 slugging percentage, which included seven doubles and 12 home runs. He was credited with 40 RBI and scored 22 runs. On the field, where he played multiple positions throughout the season, he was credited with 72 putouts and eight assists while committing two errors for a .976 fielding percentage. While playing catcher, he threw out four runners trying to steal on him.
Carter, a graduate student right-handed pitcher from Downsville, La., went 8-3 on the year with a 4.06 ERA, which went down to a 3.75 ERA in RRAC play. In 75.1 innings of work, he allowed 77 hits and 34 earned runs while striking out 89 to just 22 walks on the year. Opposing hitters hit .267 off him and struck out 10.63 batters per game.
Harrison Waxley was also named the team's representative on the RRAC's Champions of Character team as the student-athlete who best represents the NAIA's Champions of Character five core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership.
The #24 Wildcats (35-13) will find out if they've earned an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championship Tournament on Wed., May 6 when the NAIA Baseball Selection Show airs at 4 p.m. on the NAIA's YouTube channel.
