May 11, 2009

Junior J.T. Putt Earns First Team All-RMAC; Dave Holland Tabbed Freshman of the Year

Colorado Springs, Colo.: Junior outfielder J.T. Putt was named to the All-RMAC First Team as voted on by the leagues baseball coaches, while third baseman Dave Holland was tabbed the RMAC Freshman of the Year. Junior shortstop Jesus Arzaga was tabbed second team, while junior first baseman Chris Steinbeck and junior designated hitter Patrick Farrell were named to the third team.

Putt led the Rangers, who upset Mesa State in the first round of the RMAC tournament, finished with a .426 batting average. The Evergreen, Colo. native who transferred to Regis from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, paced the Rangers in slugging pct. (.756), stolen bases (17), on-base pct. (.491), and doubles (23). His 23 doubles are tied for most in one season ever by a Ranger. Putt is second on the team with 12 homeruns, 59 RBI and 84 hits and also leads the team with 27 multiple-hit games. He had a 15-game hitting streak earlier in the season and has only six games this season in which he did not collect a hit.

Holland, from Centennial, Colo. (Arapahoe HS), wasn't plugged into the starting role at third until March 14th against Kearney but has been a mainstay at third for Regis ever since. He hit at a .294 clip with five homeruns and six doubles. He had a breakout game against Metro State on March 29th where he went 4-for-4 with three homeruns. Holland is the sixth Ranger to earn this award in the last 12 seasons.

Arzaga has made an immediate impact after transferring to Regis from Central Arizona Community College. The shortstop from Mesa, Ariz. is second on the team with a .407 average and has been particularly hot as of late. In the last 16 games, he has raised his batting average from .353 to .407 going 36-for-70 (.514). He leads the team with 85 hits and 63 runs scored while starting all 52 games at shortstop. He is third on the team with with 10 homeruns and 49 RBI. He has 26 multiple-hit games, second to Putt, which includes a five-hit performance. He finished the season riding a 14-game hit streak.

Steinbeck, from Littleton, Colo., prepped at Dakota Ridge HS. He batted .376 this season with 71 hits and second on the team with 15 doubles. He is second on the team with a .485 on-base pct. He has started 50 games at first base this season and has scored the second most runs on the team, 65. He leads the Rangers in walk with 35 which is third in the RMAC. Steinbeck has 21 multiple hit games and had a 12-game hitting streak earlier in the season.

Farrell leads the Rangers with 15 homeruns and has started 34 games at catcher and 10 in the designated hitter role. The Cheynee, Wyo. native transferred to Regis from UNLV with Putt and is batting .356 in his first campaign on campus. He is third on the Rangers with a .686 slugging pct. and 14 doubles. Farrell paces the Rangers with 65 RBI including 16 games with one-or-more RBI which also includes four games of five-or-more.

Farrell was also named to the RMAC All-Tournament Team where he was 6-for-13 (.462) in three games. He slammed two homeruns and drove in seven runs, while scoring three of his own.