|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Joplin, Mo. - Missouri Southern sophomore third baseman Skyler Rawlins and junior pitcher CJ Maffei have been named first-team Daktronics All-South Central Region as voted on by the Sports Information Directors within the region. The South Central Region consists of teams in the MIAA, the Lone Star Conference and the Heartland Conference. Both Maffei and Rawlins were recently named first-team All-MIAA after helping the Lions to their first MIAA Tournament since 2002. At the Tournament, Maffei got the Lions off to a fierce start as he blanked 11th ranked Central Missouri for the second time this season and Southern run-ruled the Mules 10-0 in seven innings. The shutout was just one of two Central has suffered in the last five years, both of which were thrown by Maffei. This season, CJ went 9-3 with three complete games, two shutouts and a 2.70 ERA, while striking out 74 batters in 86.2 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .239 batting average. He became just the fifth Lions pitcher in the last 15 years to strike out more than 70 batters in a season. Rawlins has been one of the top offensive threats not only for the Lions, but in the MIAA as the sophomore finished second on the team with nine home runs, while tying a Missouri Southern record with 12 sacrifice bunts on the year. He hit .340 with 29 RBIs and went 7-10 from the base paths. The Lions had 76 stolen bases this season which is the second-highest total in Southern history. Both Rawlins and Maffei helped the Lions to the third highest batting average and third-lowest ERA in the MIAA. Both will have their names placed on the All-American ballot. |