FOUR RAMS NAMED ALL-REGION
May 12, 2007

FORT WORTH, TX:  Four members of the 13th ranked Texas Wesleyan University baseball team were selected to the NAIA’s All-Region VI baseball team.  Third baseman Jason Diaz, catcher Josh Vander Hey, and pitchers Ryan Riddle and Hayden Lackey were among those honored.

The foursome also earned 1st-team All-Red River Athletic Conference honors this season as they led the Rams to the RRAC Championship and an appearance in the Region VI Tournament final.

Diaz, a senior from Fort Worth, hit .390 with a .463 on base percentage.  He ranked third nationally with 39 bases in 49 games played and 16th with 59 runs scored.  This season he hit .574 with runners in scoring position and struck out just four times in 172 at bats.  Diaz is the school’s all-time leader with 208 runs scored while ranking second with 206 games played.

Vander Hey, a junior from Cypress, TX, was named Team MVP this season.  He led the team with a .394 batting average and a .600 slugging percentage while recording an on base percentage of .453.  He matched Diaz with 20 multi-hit games and posted a team-high 17 multi-RBI games.  He hit safely in 41 of 48 games played.

Lackey, a junior closer from Duncanville, TX, was named RRAC-Pitcher of the Year this season.  He ranked second in the nation with 14 saves while posting 4-2 record and a team-best 1.62 ERA.  His 29 appearances mark a school record along with his 14 saves.  He is also the school’s career leader in both categories with 72 appearances and 21 saves.

Riddle, a junior left-hander from Bedford, TX, was a perfect 9-0 this season with a 1.88 ERA.  He struck out 79 hitters in 71.2 innings pitched.  In the conference tournament, Riddle shutdown Houston Baptist for eight innings, allowing no runs on three hits while striking out seven.  In the Region VI Tournament he was even more impressive, firing a complete-game one-hit shutout against Southern Nazarene University.