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Chris Becker
is a native of Guelph, Ontario, and transferred to UALR
for his final season of eligibility after playing his junior season at
Missouri Valley College where he helped the Vikings to an NAIA Region
V Title. He spent his first two years at Texarkana College where he
was a teammate of current Trojan Matt Spatafora. Becker has been one
of the top offensive players for the Trojans this season, leading the
team with 6 home runs, 42 RBIs, 12 doubles and 58 hits while starting
all 44 games at second base. He also tied school records with eight
RBIs and five runs scored in the Trojans 23-3 win over UAPB earlier
this season.
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Kenny Geiersbach is a native of Martinsville, Ind., and
transferred to UALR for his senior season after three years at Indiana
State where he was named All-Missouri Valley Conference as a junior.
He leads the Trojan pitching staff this season with 13 starts, 82 2/3
innings pitched, 58 strikeouts and four victories. He picked up wins
in consecutive starts against Western Illinois on Feb. 29 and against
Creighton on March 9. He has twice struck out a season-high seven
batters against Murray State on March 21 and Mississippi Valley State
on April 7.
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Aaron Haefele
is a native of Raymore, Mo., and transferred to UALR after two seasons
at Maple Woods Community College in Missouri. He quickly made an
impact with the Trojans as he was named second-team All-Sun Belt
Conference as a junior after batting .362 with two home runs and 34
RBIs. He was named Sun Belt Player of the Week on April 29 of last
season for batting .500 in the Trojans' three-game sweep of Arkansas
State. Success has continued for Haefele with a solid senior season,
as he is batting .320 while tallying a team-high 10-game hitting
streak. He has also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the
UALR Chancellor's List and the Sun Belt Conference Honor Roll for
academic excellence. He was also named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
UALR Student Athlete of the Week earlier this year.
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Oscar Marin is a native of Sun Valley, Calif., and transferred
to UALR after two seasons at Los Angeles Valley Community College. As
a junior, his 3.12 earned run average was the second lowest on the
team and he combined with Aaron Carter, Evan Neiser and Travis
Trammell to hurl the second no-hitter in school history against
Central Baptist on March 19. He also struck out a career-high seven
batters against Tennessee-Martin as a junior. Marin has been a
valuable member of the bullpen as a senior, ranking fourth on the team
with a 4.50 earned run average and currently has not walked a batter
in 11 consecutive appearances. |
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Matt Spatafora is a native of Toronto, Ontario, and transferred to
UALR after two seasons at Texarkana College. Coming in as a shortstop,
he immediately helped solidify the middle of the infield for the
Trojans over the past two years. As a junior, Spatafora led the Sun Belt
Conference with 174 assists and took part in 42 of the Trojans' team
record 52 double plays. His 11 sacrifice hits as a junior is the
second highest single-season total in school history. As a senior he
has started all 44 games at shortstop while leading the team with 37
runs scored, seven stolen bases and 119 assists. He has closed out his
senior season strong with a career-high .283 batting average and has
also posted a career-high nine-game hitting streak this season.
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Travis Trammell is a
native of Rogers, Ark., and transferred to UALR after two seasons at
the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. He immediately established
himself as one of the top closers in UALR history, going 3-3 with a
3.08 earned run average with nine saves which is the second highest
single season total in school history. He teamed with Aaron Carter,
Evan Neiser and Oscar Marin to hurl the second no-hitter in school
history against Central Baptist on March 10 of last season. He has
been even better during his senior season, racking up a Sun Belt
Conference leading seven saves and an earned run average of 1.98. He
went 14 consecutive appearances from Feb. 28 through April 24
this season without allowing a run He currently ranks second all-time
at UALR with 16 career saves.
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Josh Wallace is a native of Casa Grande, Ariz., and transferred
to UALR after playing both baseball and basketball at the Air Force
Academy as a freshman and sophomore. He registered a career-high five
strikeouts in three innings of work against Middle Tennessee on May 18
as a junior. He recorded two wins and led the pitching staff as a
junior with a .184 opponents-batting-average. As a senior, he struck
out a season-high four batters in two innings of work against
Creighton on March 10. Wallace has also excelled in the classroom,
earning a spot on the UALR Chancellor's List and the Sun Belt
Conference Commissioner's List for academic excellence
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Adam Coleman is a native of Mountainburg, Ark., and transferred
to UALR after two successful seasons at Westark College where he
batted .450 as a freshman. He drove in a career-high five runs against
Prairie View A&M on Feb. 2 and collected a career-high four hits
against Middle Tennessee on May 11 of his junior season. As a senior,
he leads the team with seven sacrifice bunts and has played in a
team-leading 44 games this season, starting all but one game at third
base. Coleman also second on the team with five stolen bases. He hit
his first career home run against New Orleans on April 24 of this
season.
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Leo Monterrey transferred to UALR after two seasons at Highland
Community College where he was an All-Jayhawk Conference selection.
After sitting out his first year with an injury, he led the Trojans
during his junior year with a .988 fielding percentage. He also hit a
home run in his first at bat as a Trojan against Lamar on Feb. 24. As
a senior, he leads the team with a .333 batting average and .517
slugging percentage. He has slugged two game-winning home runs this
season, against Arkansas State on May 9 and a walk-off grand
slam to defeat South Alabama 6-2 on May 2. Monterrey has excelled off
the field as well, earning a spot on the UALR Chancellor's List, UALR
Dean's List and the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List for
academic excellence. He was also named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
UALR Student Athlete of the Week earlier this year. He received his
diploma yesterday at commencement ceremonies and was admitted into the
UALR Law School on Friday.
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Brad Cherry is a native of Texarkana, Ark. He played four
seasons for the Trojans after transferring to UALR from Texarkana
College where he spent one season as a redshirt. He was a closer his
first two years at UALR, going 3-3 with five saves as a freshman. He
was named second-team All-Sun Belt Conference as a sophomore, leading
the team with a 1.82 earned run average, five saves and 27
appearances. He also set a school record with his 13.05 strikeouts per
nine innings average. He became a starter his junior season and set a
single season school record with 108 strikeouts and twice earned Sun
Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week honors. He set another school
record with 14 strikeouts in a complete-game victory over Western
Illinois on March 8. The records have continued to fall during his
senior season, as Cherry earned a school record third Sun Belt Pitcher
of the Week honor on Feb. 14. He became the third pitcher in school
history to eclipse 200 career strikeouts this season. Cherry ends his
career ranked fourth all-time with 14 wins, third with 211.2 innings
pitched, second with 236 strikeouts and holds the UALR school record
with a career 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings average.
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J.J. Yant is a native of Bryant, Ark., and the only senior to
spend his entire career at UALR. He was a two-time all-state selection
at Bryant High School where he had career batting average of .401. He
saw significant playing time as a sophomore, hitting his first career
home run against Jackson State and added another against New Mexico
State. He had an outstanding junior season, leading the Trojans with a
.402 batting average and a .519 slugging percentage. Yant set
career-highs with four hits and five RBIs against Central Baptist. His
pinch-hit single against Louisiana-Monroe on April 8 raised his
batting average to an amazing .524. As a senior he posted season highs
with three hits against Florida International on March 27 and with
three runs against Jackson State in the season opener on Feb. 15. He
also was part of a unique event, becoming part of the first brother
battery mates in UALR history when he caught younger brother Scott
against Southwest Missouri State on Feb. 20. Yant received his diploma
yesterday at commencement ceremonies.
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On
behalf of his senior teammates, Leo Monterrey presented UALR head
coach Brian Rhees wiht a bat signed by the 11 seniors on the Trojans'
2004 baseball squad. |
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