Houston Picked Second; Three Cougars Earn Preseason Honors
12/28/2022 1:45:00 PM | Baseball
Tulimero, McMillan and Arnold receive American Preseason All-Conference
HOUSTON – The University of Houston baseball team was selected to finish second in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference announced Wednesday.
The Cougars earned 39 votes from the conference's head coaches behind only East Carolina who had 49. Houston beat out UCF for second place as the Knights tallied 38 votes in third. The full poll can be seen below.
Along with the Cougars second-place nod, junior catcher Anthony Tulimero, redshirt senior shortstop Ian McMillan and junior third baseman Zach Arnold were selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.Â
McMillan, a Scottsdale, Ariz. native was a unanimous selection after a standout season in 2022. He finished the season batting .302 and was second on the team in home runs (10). The 2022 Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist closed out his 2022 campaign with 40 runs, 64 hits and 40 RBI and was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Conference team.
Houston's backstop, Tulimero, returns for another season leading the Cougars. A 2022 Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year semifinalist, Tulimero led the conference in runners caught stealing with 23 while also leading the team in batting average (.326) and hits (76). During the 2022 season, the California native had 21 multiple-hit games and posted 44 runs, 39 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .994 fielding percentage.
Arnold, the Cougars starting third baseman was also selected to the Preseason All-Conference team. The California native was a 2022 Gold Glove Finalist and the American's lone third baseman with one or no errors in 160-plus chances. Arnold posted a .283 batting average in 2022 with 44 runs, 65 hits, 10 home runs, 45 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Preseason Coaches Poll
East Carolina (7)Â Â Â Â Â Â 49
Houston                   39
UCFÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 38
Tulane                      26
Wichita State       24
South Florida (1)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 21
Cincinnati                  19
Memphis                   8
First-place votes in parenthesis
Preseason Player of the Year
Brock Rodden, Jr., 2B, Wichita State
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Carter Spivey, Sr., East Carolina*
Preseason All-Conference Team
P - Ben Vespi, Jr., UCF
P - Carter Spivey, Sr., East Carolina*
P - Dylan Carmouche, Jr., Tulane
P - Cameron Bye, Jr., Wichita State
RP - Kyle Kramer, R-Sr., UCF
C – Anthony Tulimero, R-Jr., Houston
1B – Ryan Nicholson, R-Jr., Cincinnati
2B – Brock Rodden, Jr., Wichita State*
SS – Ian McMillan, R-Sr., Houston*
3B – Zach Arnold, R-Jr., Houston
OF – Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, So., East Carolina*
OF - Drew Brutcher, Jr., South Florida
OF – Chuck Ingram, Jr., Wichita State
DH – Payton Tolle, So., Wichita StateÂ
* denotes unanimous selection
UP NEXT
The Cougars open their 2023 season at Schroeder Park with a three-game series against Cal from Feb. 17-19. Houston opens American Conference play hosting East Carolina on March 31.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
The baseball program is coming off a turnaround season posting a 37-24 record and finishing third in the league while also making it to the American Championship title game. The 2022 team led The American in hits and finished second in batting average and saves and set a program record with a .984 fielding percentage.
The Cougars return Buster Posey Award semifinalist Anthony Tulimero, Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist Ian McMillan, Gold Glove finalist Zach Arnold and all-conference honoree Brandon Uhse with head coach Todd Whitting entering his 13th season at the helm.
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