June 22, 2004
SAN DIEGO - First baseman Rielly Embrey was named San Diego State's MVP in a vote of teammates and coaches conducted at the conclusion of the 2004 season. The senior from Poway, Calif. (Poway HS) finished the year with a .353 batting average and led the Aztecs with 57 runs batted in.
Embrey's average was second best on the squad as was his 19 doubles. He batted .390 in Mountain West Conference play, driving in 36 runs over 28 contests. He was an all-conference selection and was also named an Academic All-American in his final season at SDSU.
Other team honors went to freshman Brock Ungricht (Top Offensive and Top Freshman Player), senior Landon Burt (Top Defensive Player), senior Josh Hill (Most Improved), senior Ryan Wilson (Aztec Award), plus seniors Ryan Schroyer and Scott Shoemaker (co-Pitchers of the Year).
Ungricht, the all-MWC designated hitter in his first collegiate season, batted a team-leading .373 with 21 doubles and 48 RBI. In league play, he hit .434 and won conference player of the week accolades twice in 2004.
Burt was among the top center fielders in the Mountain West Conference this past season, both offensively and defensively. He fielded .983 overall and committed just one error in 28 league games (.990 fpct). He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins earlier this month after hitting .321 with 40 RBI in his final season as an Aztec.
Hill garnered the Most Improved award after a second half of the season that saw him raise his batting average some 70 points to finish at .310. He batted .366 in 22 conference games. Hill finished strong, batting .393 in the Month of May with team-highs in doubles (9) and RBI (19).
Wilson earned the Aztecs Award as the player who best exhibited the spirit and tradition of Aztec baseball. A four-year letterman, he was one of SDSU's most versatile athletes, playing wherever and whenever needed.
Senior right-handers Scott Shoemaker and Ryan Schroyer shared the Pitcher of the Year Award after both turned in standout seasons. Shoemaker was the team's number-one starter, earning conference Pitcher of the Year honors after going 6-1 with a 3.95 earned run average in league play. He also won MWC Pitcher of the Week honors twice during the 2004 campaign.
Schroyer finished the year with a total of 13saves and a 2.85 ERA in 28 appearances. He was named the MWC's all-league relief pitcher after posting seven saves and a 1.72 ERA in league play. Schroyer was the first Aztec taken in the pro draft (Boston, 5th round) while Shoemaker signed with the Red Sox prior to the draft.