University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Places Five on All-Conference USA Teams
5/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 20, 2008
IRVING, Texas - University of Houston senior third baseman Bryan Pounds and senior outfielder Jake Stewart earned places on the 2008 All-Conference USA First Team to lead five Cougar players on the various postseason squads.
Sophomore southpaw Wes Musick was named to the Second Team while shortstop Blake Kelso and closer Chase Dempsay earned places on the All-Freshmen Team.
Stewart emerged as one of the Cougars' and league's most versatile players in 2008 with the rare combination of power and speed. The Santa Fe native tops the team in runs scored (64), doubles (22), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.471) and ranks second with a .362 batting average and 23 stolen bases.
Against C-USA rival UAB on April 18, Stewart became only the third player in school history to smash three home runs in a game, accomplishing that feat on the final three pitches he saw.
It was Stewart's first All-Conference USA award.
Pounds also collect his first All-Conference USA honor with a consistent offensive performance. After sitting out the first two games of the season-opening series against Pacific, the Houston native joined the lineup in the finale
He batted 4-for-5 against the Tigers during his season debut and has never relinquished the team leading in batting average.
Pounds also blasted his first grand slam and finished with a career-high seven RBIs against No. 12 Rice during an 8-5 win on March 12. He also rattled off a 19-game hitting streak, the sixth longest in UH history, while adding eight home runs and a team-high 58 RBIs.
Musick, who was an All-Conference USA First-Team selection as a redshirt freshman in 2007, picked up his second postseason honor as a Second-Team honoree. This season, the Lufkin native has posted an 8-4 record with 72 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA in 82.1 innings.
He leads all Cougar hurlers and ranks among the C-USA individual leaders in wins, ERA and strikeouts and won his first five decisions to open the season.
Kelso was a regular at shortstop and at the top of the Cougar lineup during his first collegiate season. One of only two players to start all 55 games to date, the Pflugerville native finished the regular season with a.293 average, three home runs, 34 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
He also ranks second among all C-USA players with 162 assists from the field.
Dempsay emerged as a force out of the bullpen for the Cougars. His 10 saves ranks second in C-USA and made him the only the fourth player in UH single-season history to finish with double-digit saves. The Baytown native also added a 5-2 record and a 2.65 ERA with 42 strikeouts and a .222 opposing average in 51.0 innings.
Both his ERA and opposing average would be team bests if he qualified with enough innings.
The Cougars return to action at 9 a.m., Wednesday when they face No. 5 seed East Carolina during the first round of the Entergy C-USA Championship, hosted by Tulane at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Fans can hear Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.
Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.
