2012 Texan Baseball 2010 Tarleton Football
2010 2012 Tarleton Texan Baseball Football
Preview Players Coaches Preview Players Coaches
Opponents Opponents
2011 2010 Review Review
History History
Conference Conference
Tarleton Tarleton
19
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
2012 Texan Baseball Head Coach Bryan Conger
Bryan
Conger Head Coach • Fourth Season • Tarleton (1995)
H
ead Coach Bryan Conger’s first three years in charge of the Tarleton baseball program has had nothing but positive steps, and the Texans have gained momentum each and every year. Last season saw the most successful in school history as Tarleton advanced to the Lone Star Conference tournament and NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament in San Antonio. Look for the 2012 squad to build off last year’s success, despite an almost completely new roster. The 2011 season was a very good example of the direction in which Tarleton baseball is going. The Texans finished the year with a 35-15 record and a .700 winning percentage, which is the best in school history. Tarleton made a trip to the LSC tournament in Abilene, which marks the third time in the three years Conger has been at the helm. They followed that up with a trip to the NCAA tournament in San Antonio, where they battled into the ninth inning against No. 4 Central Missouri and narrowly ousted by Incarnate Word in their fifth meeting of the season. In 2010, Conger’s Texans finished with an above .500 record for the first time in seven years and advanced to the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament for the second time under Conger. In his fourth year at Tarleton, Conger will look to take the Texans back to the postseason for the fourth straight season.
Conger returned to Tarleton following stints at Lamar Community College, Cloud County Community College and the University of Utah. He has had 30 former players drafted by MLB teams In his five seasons as the pitching coach with Utah, the Utes pitching staff set or tied more than 10 team or individual records. Those records include most strikeouts in a season, single-season strikeouts and career saves. Under Conger, the Utes’ pitching staff finished the 2008 season second in the Mountain West Conference with a combined 5.23 earned run average and held opponents to just a .294 batting average against them. It was Utah’s lowest ERA in 33 years. At the end of the season, Stephen Fife, a pitcher for the Utes under Conger’s tutelage was drafted in the third round (85th pick overall) by the Boston Red Sox in that year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft. In 2012, Utah pitcher C.J. Cron became the first pitcher to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft that was part of Conger’s recruiting class. In all, 33 former players under Conger have been drafted by Major League teams. Before being named an assistant coach at Utah, the Stephenville native served as the head coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan. during the 2003 season. His team finished in second place following the Jayhawk Conference Tournament and captured the school’s first-ever postseason victories.
Conger is entering his fourth year at the helm of the Texan baseball program.
20
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
2012 Texan Baseball Head Coach Bryan Conger Preview
“We have high expectations and are looking to put Tarleton back on the map, not only in the Lone Star Conference, but also regionally and nationally. With the young guys we are developing and the leadership of the upperclassmen, we truly believe we can compete with anyone. Our motto is one pitch at a time and as long as we can stay focused and adhere to that, we will see where that takes us.”
Players
Hometown: ������������������������������������������������������������ Stephenville High School: ������������������������������������Stephenville High School College: ����������������������������������������������������������������Tarleton (‘95)
2001 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 46-10 2002 ��������������������������������������������������������� 59-5 (school record)
University of Utah: Pitching Coach
Tarleton: Head Coach, Pitching Coach (‘98-99) 1998 ..................35-21, 14-6 in LSC (Advanced to Regionals) 1999 ..................................34-21, 16-4 in LSC (LSC Champs) 2009 �������������������������������������������������� 28-30-1, 22-21-1 in LSC 2010 ���������������������������������������������������������26-25, 21-19 in LSC 2011......................35-15, 23-10 (2nd in LSC) (NCAA tourney)
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
21
Tarleton
2004 �������������������������������������������������������22-36, 11-19 in MWC 2005 �������������������������������������������������������19-36, 10-20 in MWC 2006 ���������������������������������������������������������28-28, 9-13 in MWC 2007 �������������������������������������������������������24-31, 12-12 in MWC 2008 �������������������������������������������������������26-28, 10-14 in MWC
Conference
Cloud Community College: Head Coach 2003 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28-18
History
AS A COACH: Lamar Community College: Pitching Coach
2011 Review
AS A PLAYER: Comeback Player of the Year........................................... 1994 Most Valuable Pitcher ....................................................... 1995 Pine Bluff (Texas-Louisiana League) ......................1996-1997
Prior to his stint in Concordia, Kan., Conger served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colo. During his stay at Lamar, the Runnin’ Lopes won back-to-back conference titles while making the school’s first-ever Junior College World Series appearance. The LCC pitching staff enjoyed great success, setting multiple school records for ERA, strikeouts, saves, shutouts and appearances. Four of his pitchers were drafted, five signed with Division I teams and six were named all-region. While earning his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in exercise and sports studies from Tarleton, Conger served as the pitching coach for the Texans from 1998-99 under then head coach Jack Allen. During his first coaching season, the Texans advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional for the first time in the school’s history. Tarleton then followed its first-ever NCAA postseason appearance by winning the Lone Star Conference South Division title in the 1999 season. Under Conger, the Texans grabbed five all-conference picks, three all-region honorees, the conference Freshman of the Year award and the conference Pitcher of the Year award. The pitching staff set multiple school records as well as the conference’s record for strikeouts in a game. During his collegiate career, Conger was named the Texans’ Comeback Player of the Year in 1994 and was named the Most Valuable Pitcher in 1995. He then spent two years as a professional player with Pine Bluff in the Texas-Louisiana League. Conger earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication in 1995 and his master’s degree in 1999. Conger and his wife, Melanie, have three children, Maddux (15), Kaleigh (14) and Jacoby (3). The couple resides in Stephenville.
Opponents
Conger’s Coaching Experience
Coaches
- Texan head coach Bryan Conger on the 2012 baseball season and the team he’s put together over this year.
2012 Texan Baseball Assistant Coaches
Bobby
Segal
B
Assistant Coach • First Season • Indiana (2006)
obby Segal, a former catcher at Indiana University, is in his first season as an assistant baseball coach at Tarleton State University. He works with the Texan hitters and catchers in addition to serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Segal was an assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College in 2011. He worked with the IWCC infielders and hitters in addition to coaching first base. Iowa Western was ranked No. 1 in the national pre-season poll and finished fourth at the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, CO. The Reivers won 27 of their final 31 games en route to a 43-20 overall record and 15-1 conference mark. Segal coached three individuals at Iowa Western who earned All-Northern District honors and seven individuals who notched All-Region XI accolades. Following the season, infielder Damek Tomscha was taken by the Florida Marlins in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Reivers also picked up National Junior College Athletic Association Academic Team of the Year laurels (3.05 GPA), while outfielder Adam Lavelle was named an NJCAA Academic All-American. Segal spent the summer of 2010 with the North Adams SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He led the club to its first regular-season Western Division Championship and served as one of two managers for the NECBL’s annual All-Star Game. Five of Segal’s players – pitchers Guido Knudson (Detroit Tigers), Sean Albury (Milwaukee Brewers), Robert Nixon (Cleveland Indians) and Corey Vogt (Boston Red Sox), and outfielder Devin Shines (Los Angeles Dodgers) – went on to sign Minor League contracts. Segal spent the spring of 2010 at Butler University, where he focused on offensive strategy, guided the catchers and coached first base. The Bulldogs improved their win total by eight games (13 to 21) from the previous season and team batting average by 54 points (.253 to .307). Two Bulldogs earned All-Horizon League second-team honors, three others landed on the conference’s All-Newcomer squad, and the team GPA was a 3.12. Segal spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as a graduate assistant at Union College (KY). Segal, who instructed the outfielders, catchers and hitters in addition to coaching first base, helped the Bulldogs to a 92-30 overall record and 36-9 conference mark during those two campaigns. Union made back-to-back national tournament appearances during Segal’s time with the program, including a fifth-place finish at the 2008 NAIA World Series in Lewiston, ID. Segal coached outfielder Josh Ehringer and infielder Joe Grinstead, who were both two-time All-America honorable mention picks at UC. He also worked with four members of the 2009 All-Appalachian Athletic Conference first team. Pitcher Marty Popham was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2008 after being named a First-Team All-American and the AAC’s Pitcher of the Year. That same season, four Bulldogs earned All-Region XII honors and three picked up All-AAC accolades. The 27-year-old Indianapolis native began his coaching career after seven months as a baseball operations intern for the Cincinnati Reds. He also occupied several game-day roles for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians during high school and college. Segal has served as an instructor at several college baseball camps and showcases across the nation. The list includes stops at Butler, Dayton, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, TCU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Segal, a three-year letterwinner and Academic All-Big Ten selection at Indiana, earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management from IU in May 2006. He then earned a master’s degree in health and physical education from Union in May 2009.
Derrick Darby Director of Operations 22
Cale Thompson Assistant
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
Preview Players Coaches Preview Players Coaches
Opponents Opponents
2011 2010 Review Review
History History
Conference Conference
Tarleton Tarleton
19
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
2012 Texan Baseball Head Coach Bryan Conger
Bryan
Conger Head Coach • Fourth Season • Tarleton (1995)
H
ead Coach Bryan Conger’s first three years in charge of the Tarleton baseball program has had nothing but positive steps, and the Texans have gained momentum each and every year. Last season saw the most successful in school history as Tarleton advanced to the Lone Star Conference tournament and NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament in San Antonio. Look for the 2012 squad to build off last year’s success, despite an almost completely new roster. The 2011 season was a very good example of the direction in which Tarleton baseball is going. The Texans finished the year with a 35-15 record and a .700 winning percentage, which is the best in school history. Tarleton made a trip to the LSC tournament in Abilene, which marks the third time in the three years Conger has been at the helm. They followed that up with a trip to the NCAA tournament in San Antonio, where they battled into the ninth inning against No. 4 Central Missouri and narrowly ousted by Incarnate Word in their fifth meeting of the season. In 2010, Conger’s Texans finished with an above .500 record for the first time in seven years and advanced to the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament for the second time under Conger. In his fourth year at Tarleton, Conger will look to take the Texans back to the postseason for the fourth straight season.
Conger returned to Tarleton following stints at Lamar Community College, Cloud County Community College and the University of Utah. He has had 30 former players drafted by MLB teams In his five seasons as the pitching coach with Utah, the Utes pitching staff set or tied more than 10 team or individual records. Those records include most strikeouts in a season, single-season strikeouts and career saves. Under Conger, the Utes’ pitching staff finished the 2008 season second in the Mountain West Conference with a combined 5.23 earned run average and held opponents to just a .294 batting average against them. It was Utah’s lowest ERA in 33 years. At the end of the season, Stephen Fife, a pitcher for the Utes under Conger’s tutelage was drafted in the third round (85th pick overall) by the Boston Red Sox in that year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft. In 2012, Utah pitcher C.J. Cron became the first pitcher to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft that was part of Conger’s recruiting class. In all, 33 former players under Conger have been drafted by Major League teams. Before being named an assistant coach at Utah, the Stephenville native served as the head coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan. during the 2003 season. His team finished in second place following the Jayhawk Conference Tournament and captured the school’s first-ever postseason victories.
Conger is entering his fourth year at the helm of the Texan baseball program.
20
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
2012 Texan Baseball Head Coach Bryan Conger Preview
“We have high expectations and are looking to put Tarleton back on the map, not only in the Lone Star Conference, but also regionally and nationally. With the young guys we are developing and the leadership of the upperclassmen, we truly believe we can compete with anyone. Our motto is one pitch at a time and as long as we can stay focused and adhere to that, we will see where that takes us.”
Players
Hometown: ������������������������������������������������������������ Stephenville High School: ������������������������������������Stephenville High School College: ����������������������������������������������������������������Tarleton (‘95)
2001 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 46-10 2002 ��������������������������������������������������������� 59-5 (school record)
University of Utah: Pitching Coach
Tarleton: Head Coach, Pitching Coach (‘98-99) 1998 ..................35-21, 14-6 in LSC (Advanced to Regionals) 1999 ..................................34-21, 16-4 in LSC (LSC Champs) 2009 �������������������������������������������������� 28-30-1, 22-21-1 in LSC 2010 ���������������������������������������������������������26-25, 21-19 in LSC 2011......................35-15, 23-10 (2nd in LSC) (NCAA tourney)
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
21
Tarleton
2004 �������������������������������������������������������22-36, 11-19 in MWC 2005 �������������������������������������������������������19-36, 10-20 in MWC 2006 ���������������������������������������������������������28-28, 9-13 in MWC 2007 �������������������������������������������������������24-31, 12-12 in MWC 2008 �������������������������������������������������������26-28, 10-14 in MWC
Conference
Cloud Community College: Head Coach 2003 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28-18
History
AS A COACH: Lamar Community College: Pitching Coach
2011 Review
AS A PLAYER: Comeback Player of the Year........................................... 1994 Most Valuable Pitcher ....................................................... 1995 Pine Bluff (Texas-Louisiana League) ......................1996-1997
Prior to his stint in Concordia, Kan., Conger served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colo. During his stay at Lamar, the Runnin’ Lopes won back-to-back conference titles while making the school’s first-ever Junior College World Series appearance. The LCC pitching staff enjoyed great success, setting multiple school records for ERA, strikeouts, saves, shutouts and appearances. Four of his pitchers were drafted, five signed with Division I teams and six were named all-region. While earning his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in exercise and sports studies from Tarleton, Conger served as the pitching coach for the Texans from 1998-99 under then head coach Jack Allen. During his first coaching season, the Texans advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional for the first time in the school’s history. Tarleton then followed its first-ever NCAA postseason appearance by winning the Lone Star Conference South Division title in the 1999 season. Under Conger, the Texans grabbed five all-conference picks, three all-region honorees, the conference Freshman of the Year award and the conference Pitcher of the Year award. The pitching staff set multiple school records as well as the conference’s record for strikeouts in a game. During his collegiate career, Conger was named the Texans’ Comeback Player of the Year in 1994 and was named the Most Valuable Pitcher in 1995. He then spent two years as a professional player with Pine Bluff in the Texas-Louisiana League. Conger earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication in 1995 and his master’s degree in 1999. Conger and his wife, Melanie, have three children, Maddux (15), Kaleigh (14) and Jacoby (3). The couple resides in Stephenville.
Opponents
Conger’s Coaching Experience
Coaches
- Texan head coach Bryan Conger on the 2012 baseball season and the team he’s put together over this year.
2012 Texan Baseball Assistant Coaches
Bobby
Segal
B
Assistant Coach • First Season • Indiana (2006)
obby Segal, a former catcher at Indiana University, is in his first season as an assistant baseball coach at Tarleton State University. He works with the Texan hitters and catchers in addition to serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Segal was an assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College in 2011. He worked with the IWCC infielders and hitters in addition to coaching first base. Iowa Western was ranked No. 1 in the national pre-season poll and finished fourth at the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, CO. The Reivers won 27 of their final 31 games en route to a 43-20 overall record and 15-1 conference mark. Segal coached three individuals at Iowa Western who earned All-Northern District honors and seven individuals who notched All-Region XI accolades. Following the season, infielder Damek Tomscha was taken by the Florida Marlins in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Reivers also picked up National Junior College Athletic Association Academic Team of the Year laurels (3.05 GPA), while outfielder Adam Lavelle was named an NJCAA Academic All-American. Segal spent the summer of 2010 with the North Adams SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He led the club to its first regular-season Western Division Championship and served as one of two managers for the NECBL’s annual All-Star Game. Five of Segal’s players – pitchers Guido Knudson (Detroit Tigers), Sean Albury (Milwaukee Brewers), Robert Nixon (Cleveland Indians) and Corey Vogt (Boston Red Sox), and outfielder Devin Shines (Los Angeles Dodgers) – went on to sign Minor League contracts. Segal spent the spring of 2010 at Butler University, where he focused on offensive strategy, guided the catchers and coached first base. The Bulldogs improved their win total by eight games (13 to 21) from the previous season and team batting average by 54 points (.253 to .307). Two Bulldogs earned All-Horizon League second-team honors, three others landed on the conference’s All-Newcomer squad, and the team GPA was a 3.12. Segal spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as a graduate assistant at Union College (KY). Segal, who instructed the outfielders, catchers and hitters in addition to coaching first base, helped the Bulldogs to a 92-30 overall record and 36-9 conference mark during those two campaigns. Union made back-to-back national tournament appearances during Segal’s time with the program, including a fifth-place finish at the 2008 NAIA World Series in Lewiston, ID. Segal coached outfielder Josh Ehringer and infielder Joe Grinstead, who were both two-time All-America honorable mention picks at UC. He also worked with four members of the 2009 All-Appalachian Athletic Conference first team. Pitcher Marty Popham was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2008 after being named a First-Team All-American and the AAC’s Pitcher of the Year. That same season, four Bulldogs earned All-Region XII honors and three picked up All-AAC accolades. The 27-year-old Indianapolis native began his coaching career after seven months as a baseball operations intern for the Cincinnati Reds. He also occupied several game-day roles for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians during high school and college. Segal has served as an instructor at several college baseball camps and showcases across the nation. The list includes stops at Butler, Dayton, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, TCU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Segal, a three-year letterwinner and Academic All-Big Ten selection at Indiana, earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management from IU in May 2006. He then earned a master’s degree in health and physical education from Union in May 2009.
Derrick Darby Director of Operations 22
Cale Thompson Assistant
2012 Texan Baseball Media Guide • tarletonsports.com
