The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Eight Longhorns earn All-Big 12 honors
05.20.2014 | Baseball
Mark Payton named to first team for second straight year
IRVING, Texas – Texas outfielder Mark Payton was named first team All-Big 12 in a vote by league coaches while seven more Longhorns also received All-Big 12 honors, the conference announced Tuesday.
Second baseman Brooks Marlow, starting pitcher Nathan Thornhill and relief pitcher Chad Hollingsworth were named to the second team, while outfielder Ben Johnson received honorable mention.
Catcher Tres Barrera, relief pitcher Morgan Cooper and third baseman Zane Gurwitz were named to the All-Freshman team.
Payton received All-Big 12 honors for the third time in his career after being named to the second team in 2012 and first team in 2013. The senior leads the nation with a 91-game reached-base streak which is two shy of the Big 12 record. He also leads the conference in on-base percentage (.446) and walks (44) and has a team-best .309 batting average.
Marlow was one of the best defensive players in the league, committing just two errors in 274 chances for a .993 fielding percentage. He was involved in 48 of Texas' 56 double plays and has helped turn 102 in his career, which ranks eighth in school history. Offensively, Marlow batted in the leadoff position and hit .272 with a .386 on-base percentage.
Thornhill led the starting pitching staff with a 1.62 ERA and 6-2 record. He held opponents to a .204 batting average, the third-best mark in the league, and surrendered just eight extra-base hits all season. In addition to his 11 starts, he also made five appearances in relief early in the season and had two saves.
Hollingsworth was Texas' top reliever in appearances (22) and ERA (1.34, minimum 20 IP). A sophomore, he held opponents to a .209 batting average and allowed just five earned runs in 33 2/3 innings. The Waco native has a 2-0 record with one save.
Johnson is hitting .286 with a team-high six home runs and a .460 slugging percentage. The sophomore ranks third in the league with 19 stolen bases.
Barrera has started 48 games and is hitting .286 with five home runs and a team-high 11 doubles. Cooper owns a 4-2 record with a 2.80 ERA and is tops among Texas relievers with 45 innings pitched. Gurwitz, meanwhile, has started 44 games primarily at third base and is hitting .271 with seven doubles and a pair of home runs.
Texas' three selections to the All-Freshman team were the most in the league.
