May 22, 2006
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - San Diego State junior right-hander Bruce Billings has been named to the 2006 All-Mountain West Conference baseball team for the second consecutive season. In addition, teammates Quintin Berry, Justin Masterson, Nick Romero and Paul Smyth picked up second-team accolades.
Billings (San Diego, Calif., Morse HS) finished the conference season with a record of 6-1 and a 2.11 earned run average. His ERA ranked second in the MWC, and he held opponents to a .237 batting average, the lowest in the conference. His 50 strikeouts in league play ranked third in the final MWC stats.
Berry (Morse HS/Grossmont JC) batted .322 in league play, scoring 29 runs in 22 contests, third-most in the conference. He also led the team with 17 walks for a .454 on-base percentage and stole nine bases. He did not commit an error in center field in MWC contests.
Masterson, a right-handed pitcher, earned his award after finishing with a 4-2 mark, one save and a 4.72 ERA. The junior from Beavercreek, Ohio, struck out 57 and walked only nine over 55.1 innings as he led the league in strikeouts.
Smyth, a native of Temecula, Calif. (Temecula Valley HS/Cypress JC/New Orleans) has been the Aztecs' offensive standout throughout the 2006 campaign, leading the squad in most categories. He ranked among the top 10 in the conference in league play in runs scored, RBI, triples and slugging percentage. He hit .368 in MWC action with 28 RBI in 22 games.
Romero, from Chula Vista, Calif (Eastlake HS) is a true freshman who batted .356 in league play during in his first season of collegiate ball. His seven homers and 27 runs batted in both ranked among the conference's top 10.
The Aztecs are in Las Vegas this week to compete in the annual Mountain West Conference Tournament, held to determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. SDSU, the tourney's number-three seed, opens play on Tuesday (May 23) when it takes on sixth-seeded Utah at 11:00 a.m. (PDT) at UNLV's Earl E. Wilson Stadium.