Conner Combs, Kelsie Batten Named ASC Athletes of the Year

2015-16_ASC_AOTY_Kelsie Batten_Conner Combs

Conner Combs is the first male student-athlete from ETBU to be named the ASC Athlete of the Year. Kelsie Batten is the second Texas-Tyler recipient in the last three years.

6/9/2016 7:00:00 AM

RICHARDSON, Texas – East Texas Baptist junior first baseman Conner Combs and Texas-Tyler senior pitcher Kelsie Batten have been named the 2015-16 American Southwest Conference Athletes of the Year, the league office announced Thursday (June 9) after a vote of the conference's sports information directors and former Outstanding Media Service Award recipients.

The ASC Athlete of the Year award recognizes the men's and women's student-athlete whose athletic accomplishments during the current athletic year best contributed to their sport, their institution's overall athletic program and to the conference. Each ASC member institution nominates its campus athlete of the year recipients to the conference-wide ballot. The award is presented for the 17th time in the 2015-16 academic season.

Combs is the first male student-athlete from East Texas Baptist to be named the ASC Athlete of the Year. Batten is the second Texas-Tyler recipient in the last three years with both awards coming in softball.

“I am honored to receive this award and looking back on this year I am reminded of why I was awarded with this honor,” said Combs. “My teammates’ support motivated me, my coaches’ guidance helped me and my family’s love an inspired me, and God’s grace sustained me. I am who I am today because of them. I am so grateful to receive this award and represent East Texas Baptist University.”

“It’s such an honor to be named ASC Athlete of the Year,” said Batten. “The ASC is such a talented conference in all sports so it makes it very special. I want to thank all my teammates and coaches, all of them were so important to my receiving this award. Finishing my career dog-piling with my teammates is every kid’s dream.”

The American Southwest Conference Player of the Year, Combs ranked fourth in the NCAA in home runs (15) and led the ASC in slugging percentage (.734). He ranked second in the ASC in RBI (52) and total bases (116) and was fifth in stolen bases (20), sixth in batting average (.399) and ninth in hits (63). Combs led the Tigers to 31 overall wins, the most by an ETBU team since 2005. A two-time All-American selection, Combs received honors from D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2016. The ETBU Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor recipient and the ASC Distinguished Scholar Athlete in baseball, Combs capped off his record-setting season as the first student-athlete in ASC history in any sport to receive the CoSIDA Division III Academic All-American of the Year award.

“This is an extremely high honor and well deserved for Conner,” said ETBU coach Jared Hood. “I am proud to have coached him and see the player and man he has developed into. Conner has been our team’s leader spiritually, and in the classroom, and on the field the last two years. He has earned this award and I could not be happier for him.”

In her final season Batten was named the ASC Pitcher of the Year, the inaugural recipient of the Schutt Sports / NFCA Division III National Player of the Year award, and was named the NCAA Division III Championship Most Outstanding Player after recording four wins and 38 strikeouts to lead Texas-Tyler to its first Division III title in softball. Batten exits her collegiate career as the ASC career leader in wins (118), win percentage (.874), innings pitched (817.1) and appearances (158). The only four-time NFCA All-American in ASC history, Batten also set the conference single-season record in wins (36) and shutouts (13). She finishes her career with 555 strikeouts, just one behind Sandi Clark (556) of Louisiana College for the most in ASC history.

“Kelsie is one of the best players to play in the history of the ASC in any sport,” said UT Tyler head coach Mike Reed. “Her success on the field is only second to her hard work and team-first attitude. She will forever be in the record books and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

All-Time Winners

Year	Men	Women
2015-16	Conner Combs, East Texas Baptist (baseball)	Kelsie Batten, Texas-Tyler (softball)
2014-15	Connor Bertsch, Concordia Texas (baseball)	McKenzie Ralston, Mary Hardin-Baylor (golf)
2013-14	Kyle Schleigh, Texas Dallas (basketball)	Lauren Robenalt, Texas-Tyler (softball)
2012-13	Javicz Jones, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football)	Katie Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons (soccer)
2011-12	Kevin Cunningham, McMurry (track & field)	Brittany Roberson, Howard Payne (basketball)
2010-11	Ben McLaughlin, Louisiana College (football)	Amy Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons (soccer)
2009-10	Jake Mullin, McMurry (football / baseball)	Ayrika Henderson, East Texas Baptist (softball)
2008-09	Hann Ollison, McMurry (track & field)	Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons (track & field)
2007-08	Jerrell Freeman, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football)	Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (basketball)
2006-07	Josh Kubiak, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football)	Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (basketball)
2005-06	Aaron Crais, Texas Lutheran (baseball)	Sandi Clark, Louisiana College (softball)
2004-05	Cody Brotherton, McMurry University (track & field)	Holly Glover, Mary Hardin-Baylor (golf)
2003-04	Cody Fredenburg, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football)	Brittany Cary, McMurry (golf)
2002-03	Preston Meyer, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football)	Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (basketball)
2001-02	Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball)	Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (basketball)
2000-01	(co) Aaron Kernek, Austin College (football / t&f)	Talitha Belcher, McMurry (track & field)
	(co) Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball)
1999-00	Brad Parris, McMurry (track & field)	Ogonna Merritt, McMurry (basketball)

Awards Breakdown
Team Winners

9	Mary Hardin-Baylor
8	McMurry
5	Hardin-Simmons
3	Howard Payne
2	East Texas Baptist
2	Louisiana College
2	Texas-Tyler
1	Texas Dallas
1	Texas Lutheran
1	Austin College

Men’s Award Winners

7	Mary Hardin-Baylor
5	McMurry
1	Concordia Texas
1	East Texas Baptist
1	Louisiana College
1	Texas Dallas
1	Texas Lutheran
1	Austin College

Multiple Winners

2	Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (01-02, 02-03)
2	Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (06-07, 07-08)
2	Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (00-01, 01-02)

Women’s Award Winners

5	Hardin-Simmons
3	Howard Payne
3	McMurry
2	Mary Hardin-Baylor
2	Texas-Tyler
1	East Texas Baptist
1	Louisiana College

Winners by Sport

9	Basketball
8	Football
7	Track & Field
4	Baseball
4	Softball
3	Golf
2	Soccer

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