Azar named Player of the Year

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State University senior catcher Anthony Azar has been named the Southland Conference Player of the Year as voted on by the league’s head coach and sports information directors. The conference announced the selection on Monday.

Azar, a 2010 graduate of The Woodlands High School, is the first-ever Bearkat to earn the league’s top honor. He is also the school’s first semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, which goes to the nation’s top catcher.

Azar leads the league in slugging percentage (.558), is second in RBI (44) and total bases (111), third in batting average (.369) and home runs (nine) and fourth in hits (76) and on-base percentage (.450).

He is one of eight Bearkats named to the All-Southland Conference teams. Former College Park High School standout Corey Toups was selected to the honorable mention list. Toups hit .302 during the 2014 regular season with seven homers and 28 RBIs. He tied for the team lead with 38 runs scored. He was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Week on the final week of the regular season.

Azar was a first-team all-district and third-team all-state player as a catcher and first baseman for The Woodlands High School.

He will lead Sam Houston State University into the Southland Conference Tournament beginning Wednesday when the Bearkats face Lamar in the opening round.

The No. 22 nationally-ranked Bearkats (40-15) are the Southland Conference champions and enter the postseason tournament as the No. 1 seed for the third consecutive season. They have won 14 of the last 15 games.

The tournament runs through Saturday with the winner advancing to the NCAA Regionals.