Baseball's Augenstein Collects Second-Team All-SEC Honors
Tuesday, May 23, 2006 | Baseball
Sophomore Bryan Augenstein (Sebastian, Fla.) of the Gator baseball team was chosen to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team in a vote of the league's 12 head baseball coaches announced on Tuesday. It marks the third-consecutive year that a Florida pitcher has earned All-SEC honors, following Justin Hoyman (first team in 2004) and Connor Falkenbach (second team in 2005). Augenstein anchored UF's pitching staff with a 9-6 record and a 3.07 earned run average and limited opponents to a .241 batting average.
The 6'5" righty notched 98 strikeouts and issued 24 walks over 111.1 innings and fired three complete games. He worked at least seven innings in 13 of his 15 starts and collected four wins in SEC action, highlighted by a 6-4 triumph over Eastern Division titlist and league co-champion Kentucky and a 4-3 decision over Western Division winner and league co-champion Alabama. Augenstein blazed out of the gates with a 5-0 ledger and three of his setbacks were by a single run.
Kentucky junior first baseman Ryan Strieby was selected as the 2006 SEC Baseball Player of the Year, Arkansas' sophomore left-hander Nick Schmidt was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez was named SEC Freshman of the Year by a vote of the league's 12 head baseball coaches. The coaches also unanimously tabbed Kentucky skipper John Cohen as SEC Coach of the Year. Alabama junior outfielder Emeel Salem was named as the SEC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Strieby and Schmidt headlined a list of players named to the first and second-team All-SEC squads for this season. Strieby led the SEC in doubles (20), total bases (150), slugging percentage (.718), on-base percentage (.474) and RBIs (75). Schmidt was third in the SEC with a 2.81 ERA, second in strikeouts (130), second in opposing batting average (.199) and second in wins (nine).
Cohen led the Wildcats to a 20-10 record in conference play and a share of the SEC Championship. This was the first overall championship in the history of Kentucky baseball. As a freshman, Alvarez scored 61 runs and hit 17 home runs while helping the Commodores to a 16-14 conference mark and the sixth seed in the SEC Tournament. Salem led the SEC in hits (89) and stolen bases (32). He carries a 3.9 grade point average, double-majoring in marketing and Spanish, and was the only unanimous player selected to the 2006 All-SEC squad.
Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players, thus a unanimous selection earns 11 of the 12 first-team votes. The complete 2006 All-SEC Team follows:
SEC Awards
| Player of the Year: | Ryan Strieby, Kentucky |
| Pitcher of the Year: | Nick Schmidt, Arkansas |
Freshman of the Year: | Pedro Alvarez, Vanderbilt |
| Scholar-Athlete of the Year: | Emeel Salem, Alabama |
| Coach of the Year: | John Cohen, Kentucky |
First Team All-SEC
| Pos. | Name | School |
| 1B | Ryan Strieby | Kentucky |
| 2B | Jeffrey Rea | Mississippi State |
| 3B | Pedro Alvarez | Vanderbilt |
| SS | Thomas Berkery | Mississippi State |
| SS | Zack Cozart | Ole Miss |
| C | J.P. Arencibia | Tennessee |
| OF | Michael Campbell | South Carolina |
| OF | Emeel Salem* | Alabama |
| OF | Quinn Stewart | LSU |
| DH | Mike Bianucci | Auburn |
| P | Wade LeBlanc | Alabama |
| P | Nick Schmidt | Arkansas |
| RP | Joshua Fields | Georgia |
Second Team All-SEC
| Pos. | Name | School |
| 1B | Josh Morris | Georgia |
| 2B | John Shelby | Kentucky |
| 3B | Chris Coghlan | Ole Miss |
| SS | Reese Havens | South Carolina |
| SS | Michael Hollander | LSU |
| C | Sean Coughlin | Kentucky |
| C | Kody Valverde | Alabama |
| OF | Julio Borbon | Tennessee |
| OF | Jake Dugger | Arkansas |
| OF | Joey Side | Georgia |
| DH | Robbie Grinestaff | South Carolina |
| P | Bryan Augenstein | FLORIDA |
| P | David Price | Vanderbilt |
| RP | Wynn Pelzer | South Carolina |
All-Freshman Team
| Pos. | Name | School |
| 1B | Justin Smoak | South Carolina |
| 2B | J.T. Wise | LSU |
| 3B | Pedro Alvarez | Vanderbilt |
| SS | Tony Delmonico | Tennessee |
| OF | Jarred Bogany | LSU |
| OF | Andrew Crisp | South Carolina |
| OF | Luke Greinke | Auburn |
| DH | Mike Bianucci | Auburn |
| P | Mike Cisco | South Carolina |
| P | Tommy Hunter | Alabama |
| RP | Cody Satterwhite | Ole Miss |
--UF--
