RICHARDSON, Texas – East Texas Baptist senior
Sayers Collins and junior
Tristen Maddox were selected as the 2022-23 American Southwest Conference Athlete of the Year recipients, the league office announced Thursday.
The ASC Athlete of the Year award recognizes a male and a female student-athlete whose athletic accomplishments best contributed to their sport, their institution's overall athletic program and to the conference during the past athletic year and is presented for the 23rd time in 2022-23. Selection is made from campus nominees with the recipients chosen by vote of the conference sports information directors.
East Texas Baptist moved to fourth overall among institutions with five total ASC Athletes of the Year. Maddox is the seventh softball student-athlete, while Collins is the sixth baseball student-athlete.
Collins, a right-handed pitcher from Frisco, Texas, continues to represent the ASC and ETBU at a national level being named an All-American for the second year in a row. Collins was named to the ABCA All-American First Team and to the D3baseball.com All-American Second Team while also being the ABCA Region 10 Pitcher of the Year and All-Region 1st team for ABCA and D3baseball.com.
He dominated the ASC on the mound by being named the Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row breaking his own single season ETBU and ASC record for strikeouts in a year at 135. This year also brought another ASC record in career weekly awards with 10 to break TLU's Brad Orosey's record of nine from 2009-2012. Collins also tied the ASC record for wins in a season at 12.
In four games this season, he had at least 10 strikeouts including a 2023 NCAA Division III World Series best 13 strikeouts against No. 2 Salisbury upsetting the Sea Gulls, 7-3, coming back to pitcher after an almost two-hour rain-delay.
In the Marshall, Texas, Regional Tournament, he went 6.2 innings in the first meeting with Trinity recording six strikeouts and allowing two earned runs sending ETBU to the regional championship game.
Collins helped ETBU to a program best 42 wins in 2023. ETBU won their first-ever ASC Tournament, NCAA Marshall, Regional Tournament, and Super Regional Tournament championships this year. They have also won back-to-back ASC regular season championships. They finished tied for third in NCAA Division III going 2-2 at the World Series with two upset wins over #2 Salisbury University. For the first time, also, they were consistently ranked in the Collegiate Baseball News Top 25 reaching as high 14th in the regular season and earning the no. 1 seed in Region 10 for the NCAA Tournament. He leaves ETBU holding the career record for strikeouts (329), single season record for strikeouts (135), and career wins (29).
Maddox, a shortstop from Mission, Texas, continues to be a force in the ASC for softball being the 2023 ASC Player of the Year, a member of the NFCA All-American First Team, and winning a NFCA Gold Glove as the top defensive shortstop in NCAA Division III. It is the second year in a row she has been named a NFCA All-American and All- Region being on the second team for both awards. She led the ASC in batting average (.425), runs (51), hits (65), doubles (16), home runs (9), RBI (46), total bases (108) and was third in stolen bases (28). Maddox earned the ASC Hitter of the Week on Mar. 20.
Along with the ASC and NFCA awards, she was on the NFCA Player of the Year watchlist. She is now a two-time ASC Tournament champion helping ETBU to the 2023 championship. She had two or more hits in 22 games with three hits in four games starting and playing in all 46 games. ETBU won 39 games and went 27-0 at home during the regular season. The Tigers rallied to a 3-2 walk-off win in extra innings to capture their 11th ASC title and hosted their third NCAA Marshall, Texas, Regional Tournament in as many years. They have consistently been ranked in the top 10 and regionally ranked.
2022-23 Athlete of the Year Nominees
# Athlete of the Year
| Women |
|
|
| # Tristen Maddox |
Softball |
East Texas Baptist |
| Karen Alvarez |
Golf |
UT Dallas |
| Kristen Burdick |
Soccer |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Annika Canaba |
Volleyball/Softball |
Sul Ross State |
| Jazmin Chacon |
Cross Country/Track & Field |
McMurry |
| Kylah Holland |
Track & Field/Cross Country |
Hardin-Simmons |
| Kallie Krenz |
Soccer/Track & Field |
Concordia Texas |
| Morgan Nix |
Volleyball |
LeTourneau |
| Victoria Ramos |
Tennis |
Howard Payne |
| Hayley Rivett |
Softball |
Ozarks |
Men |
|
|
| # Sayers Collins |
Baseball |
East Texas Baptist |
| Joshua Bode |
Tennis |
Concordia Texas |
| Charleus Emmanuel Ritch |
Soccer |
Ozarks |
| Otis Lanier |
Football |
Howard Payne |
| K.J. Miller |
Football |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Steven Quinn |
Basketball |
Hardin-Simmons |
| Daniel Shofner |
Golf |
UT Dallas |
| DonTre Sinegal |
Track & Field |
McMurry |
| Bryson Thurston |
Golf |
LeTourneau |
Annual ASC Athlete of the Year Award Recipients
| Year |
Men |
Women |
| 1999-2000 |
Brad Parris, McMurry (track & field) |
Ogonna Merritt, McMurry (basketball) |
| 2000-01 |
(co) Aaron Kernek, Austin (football) |
Talitha Belcher, McMurry (basketball, track & field) |
|
(co) Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball) |
|
| 2001-02 |
Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball) |
Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (basketball) |
| 2002-03 |
Preston Meyer, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (basketball) |
| 2003-04 |
Cody Fredenburg, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Brittany Cary, McMurry (golf) |
| 2004-05 |
Cody Brotherton, McMurry (track & field) |
Holly Glover, Mary Hardin-Baylor (golf) |
| 2005-06 |
Aaron Crais, Texas Lutheran (baseball) |
Sandi Clark, Louisiana College (softball) |
| 2006-07 |
Josh Kubiak, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (basketball) |
| 2007-08 |
Jerrell Freeman, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (basketball) |
| 2008-09 |
Hann Ollison, McMurry (track and field) |
Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons (track & field) |
| 2009-10 |
Jake Mullin, McMurry (football, baseball) |
Ayrika Henderson, East Texas Baptist (softball) |
| 2010-11 |
Ben McLaughlin, Louisiana College (football) |
Amy Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons (soccer) |
| 2011-12 |
Kevin Cunningham, McMurry (track and field) |
Brittany Roberson, Howard Payne (basketball) |
| 2012-13 |
Javicz Jones, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Katie Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons (soccer) |
| 2013-14 |
Kyle Schleigh, UT Dallas (basketball) |
Lauren Robenalt, UT Tyler (softball) |
| 2014-15 |
Connor Bertsch, Concordia Texas (baseball) |
McKenzie Ralston, Mary Hardin-Baylor (golf) |
| 2015-16 |
Conner Combs, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Kelsie Batten, UT Tyler (softball) |
| 2016-17 |
Teidrick Smith, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Whitney Simmons, UT Tyler (track & field) |
| 2017-18 |
Haston Adams, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Kenne Kessler, Hardin-Simmons (soccer) |
| 2018-19 |
Casey Combs, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Melissa Livermore, UT Dallas (softball) |
| 2020-21 |
Josiah Johnson, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball) |
Kathy Joseph, UT Dallas (tennis) |
| 2021-22 |
Jefferson Fritz, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Kennedy Carruth, Belhaven (softball) |
| 2022-23 |
Sayers Collins, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Tristen Maddox, East Texas Baptist (softball) |