Wendte, Newton Named All-Conference
6/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 17, 2002
DALLAS - Big 12 Conference baseball coaches have selected a 2002 All-Freshmen team from among a solid group of first-year student-athletes (both redshirt and true freshmen).
The group includes a standout quarterback-first baseman (Josh Fields) of Oklahoma State, Collegiate Baseball first team Freshmen All-America pitchers Travis Wendte of Missouri, David Purcey of Oklahoma and Huston Street of Texas, and the league's best yearling hitter in Texas DH J.D. Reininger with a .346 batting average.
Youngsters on the first-year "dream team" include the aforementioned quartet, Baylor infielder Michael Griffin, Oklahoma infielder Matt Bose, Texas infielder Michael Hollimon, Oklahoma State catcher Jason Jaramillo, outfielders Madison Edwards of Texas Tech, Coby Mavroulis of Texas A&M, and Daniel Bruce of Nebraska along with Missouri pitcher Abel Newton, Nebraska pitcher Brian Duensing, NU hurler Phil Shirek, Oklahoma pitcher Jared McAuliff, and Texas A&M's Logan Kensing.
The standout freshmen come from six different states in and around the Big 12 area with a varied pedigree. All contributed to their teams' contention for the Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament, NCAA Regionals, Super Regionals, and even College World Series possibilities in 2002.
Wendte (Moore, Okla.) paced MU with five saves and was tied for fifth among Big 12 moundmen for coach Tim Jamieson's Tigers. Wendte also appeared in 26 games, a mark that ranks sixth on the program's single-season charts.
Newton (Russellville, Ark.) posted a 4-5 record for the Tigers and tied for the team lead with 58 strikeouts. He recorded wins over Baylor and had a career-high 10 strikeouts in the win over the nationally ranked Bears on March 22. Newton also tossed a complete game in MU's 13-2 victory over nationally ranked Texas A&M on April 27.
