HAMMOND – Five Southeastern Louisiana baseball players have earned all-star selections in their respective summer leagues. Junior Cass Hargis received the nod in the Coastal Plain League, junior Mat Cox in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League and freshman Brock Hebert in the Texas Collegiate League. Plus, freshman Alex Marse and freshman Steven Poche accepted all-star honors in the Mountain Collegiate League.
Hargis is playing for the Thomasville (N.C.) Hi-Toms. He leads the team in batting average (.316), hits (50), home runs (3) and stolen bases (11). Hargis came off the bench to take over right field for the American League at the CPL All-Star Game last Tuesday, and went 0-for-2 in a losing cause, as the National League picked up a 5-4 win. Hargis also participated in the home run derby, knocking a total of four balls out of the park.
As part of the Westhampton (N.Y.) Aviators, Cox is the squad's top pitcher with a 4-1 record. In 33.2 innings of work, he has allowed eight earned runs, leaving him with a 2.14 ERA. He has also registered 20 strike outs. Cox saw relief action for the ACBL East All-Stars, throwing a scoreless fifth inning. After allowing a single to the lead-off batter, he induced a double play and a fly out. The West All-Stars went on to grab a 4-1 victory.
Hebert leads the TCL in stolen bases with 39, as a second baseman for the Texas TomCats, based in Weimar. He has a .295 batting average with a pair of doubles, a home run and seven RBI. In the TCL All-Star Game, he went 1-for-5, scoring two runs and stealing two bases. The game ended in a 7-7 tie.
Marse and Poche earned all-star bids in the Mountain Collegiate League. Both are playing for the Laramie (Wyo.) Colts. In addition, freshman pitcher Matt Pittari was selected to play in the All American Amateur Baseball Association national tournament, representing the New Orleans Boosters.
Junior outfielder Jeff Harkensee is also having a stand-out season, but was not awarded with an all-star selection, simply because his summer league does not have an all-star game. He has a .385 batting average for the Okotoks (Alberta) Dawgs, putting him in the top 10 for the Western Major Baseball League, Canada's pre-eminent summer collegiate baseball association. Harkensee is also fourth in the league among home run hitters with six and second in RBI with 40.
“We have a lot of guys playing this summer and having success,” Southeastern head coach Jay Artigues said. “We want them to get a lot of experience and come back ready to go for next season. They've taken great advantage of opportunities to better themselves.”
The Lions are coming off their first 40-win season in school history. They report back to campus August 16, two days before the first classes of the new semester. Fall practice, which will run for approximately six weeks, begins shortly after that.
