Aug. 3, 2012

By Michael Eldridge | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Coming off a Southland Conference baseball championship, players from the team have not taken any time off as they prepare for their first season in the Western Athletic Conference.

“Summer baseball is very important to the development of college baseball players,” UTA coach Darin Thomas said. “It gives them [another] season to develop so freshman come back really as juniors and not sophomores and it gets them away from home.”

Three Mavericks shined during their summer league season making the All-Star Game in their respective leagues. Outfielder Matt Shortall and pitcher John Beck were selected to the CAL Summer League All-Star team. New Mexico transfer J.M. Twitchell led his Mankato Moondogs in hitting with a .351 batting average with 54 hits and seven home runs in 25 games.

“A lot of these guys have had really good summers,” Thomas said. “They have represented our team very well during the summer."

Here is a list of all of the Mavericks participating in summer league baseball and how they performed.

Liberal BeeJays | Jay Hawk League

Derek Miller (INF) – Miller had 34 hits in 110 at bats and hit for a .309 batting average. He had five RBIs and one home run.

Travis Sibley (INF) – Sibley had 27 hits in 93 plate appearances. He finished with a .290 batting average and eight runs batted in.

Chad Nack (P) – Nack pitched in 48 2/3 innings giving up just 13 runs. He had a 2.08 ERA and was 4-2 as a starter with 28 strikeouts.

El Dorado Broncos | Jay Hawk League

Brandon Lawrence (OF) - Lawrence had two home runs in 89 at bats and hit .281 in the summer league. He had 25 hits, four doubles and two triples.

San Luis Blues Obispo | California Collegiate League

Matt Shortall (OF) – Shortall was an All-Star selection after hitting .336 during the season. He had 39 hits and 25 RBIs in 110 at bats.

Santa Barbara Foresters | California Collegiate League

John Beck (P)– Beck pitched in 35 and a third innings striking out 27 batters and notching a 2.29 ERA. He was 3-1 in eight appearances for the CCL champions.

McKinney Marshals | Texas Collegiate League

Kennedy Winn (P) – Winn was 2-5 in his TCL season with a 5.51 ERA in 12 appearances. He had 42 strikeouts and allowed just 29 earned runs.

Kasey Merck (P)– Merck pitched five innings for the Marshals and struck out seven. He allowed eight earned runs and had a 0-1 record.

Mankato Moondogs | Northwoods League

J.M. Twitchell (INF) – Twitchell, an All-Star in the Northwoods League, hit .351 in 154 at bats during the 2012 summer league. He had seven home runs and 54 base hits.

Texas Gators | Dallas Amateur Baseball Association

Cody Dyvig (INF) and Brent Bollinger (INF)

While individual stats were not available for the Gators, the team finished with 11-12 record with one tie and were the seventh seed in the DABA post-season tournament. The Gators won its first three games to earn a place in the DABA Championship game this Saturday.