BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- After an NCAA National Championship run fell short against Mount Olive in the title game of 2008, the Ouachita Baptist baseball program received a host of honors on Thursday when Gulf South Conference officials released the All-Decade Baseball squad.
Leading the way for the Tigers on the First Team were former outfielders Will Gowdy and Justin Pennell, along with 2008 NCAA World Series Most Valuable Player Steve Smith at pitcher.
Rounding out the honors were Second Team members in former players Destan Makonnen (first base), Jeremy Haworth (third base) and Chance Beasley (outfield). Former Head Coach Scott Norwood added Honorable Mention honors.
Smith enjoyed a stellar four-year career for the Tigers, including a 10-1 record with a 2.00 ERA with 143 strikeouts in his senior campaign for Ouachita. Among the postseason awards Smith earned following the 2008 season, were ABCA and NCBWA All-American Second Team honors, NCAA Division II National Championships Most Valuable Player, Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American, Daktronics First-Team All-South Central Region honors, All-South Central Region Tournament Team, All-GSC First Team and NCAA Division II National Championships All-Tournament Team honors. In 2007, Smith finished at 8-2 with a 3.50 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched, earning him All-GSC Tournament Team honors. The Texarkana native finished his collegiate career with a 36-15 record with 323 strikeouts and a career ERA of 3.23 in 342.2 innings pitched. The starting pitcher is ranked among the overall best in GSC baseball history, including third in conference history in career games started, tied for third in career strikeouts, fourth in most strikeouts in a season (143; 2008) and is seventh overall in innings pitched. Smith was a 25th round selection by the Cleveland Indians in the 2008 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Gowdy is the most recent of selections for Ouachita, finishing up his two-year career for the Tigers in 2010. The outfielder was named to the 2010 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II All-South Region Second Team, as well as being a unanimous selection at outfielder to the 2010 All-Gulf South Conference First Team for the second-straight season after Gowdy also earned GSC Player of the Year honors in 2009. The Amarillo, Texas native was third on the team in batting with a .351 average, while leading the Tigers in home runs (10) and RBIs (45) in 2010. The senior placed second on the team with 53 hits, including 14 doubles and lead the team with a .656 slugging percentage. Gowdy earned 2010 preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-American honors before the season, after being named to the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region First team and NCBWA First Team as a junior. Gowdy was at his best as a dual threat during his junior season in 2009, hitting .429 with a school-record 29 doubles and also adding 11 Home Runs and 55 RBI. On the mound, Gowdy earned a 10-3 record with a 4.04 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 75 innings of work. Gowdy is tied for first in GSC history with most putouts in a conference game with 20 in 2009, along with being tied for second with most doubles in a season with 29 in 2009, as well.
From the moment he stepped on campus, Pennell was an instant force at the plate and in the outfield for Ouachita. Pennell teamed up with Smith and Makonnen in 2008 to hit .359 in 66 starts with 85 hits, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 15 home runs and 77 RBI. Pennell scored 68 runs and drew 52 walks for a .471 on-base percentage. The right fielder was named as a 2008 ABCA National Gold Glove Winner, All-South Central Region Tournament Most Outstanding Player, as well as being named to the NCAA Division II National Championships All-Tournament Team, ABCA and Daktronics All-South Central Region Second Team, ABCA All-South Central Region Gold Glove Team, NCAA South Central Regional All-Tournament Team and All-GSC First Team during his senior year. During his junior season in which he hit .336 with 12 doubles, 1 triple, 11 home runs and 57 RBIs in 60 starts. The Canadian earned 2007 Daktronics All-South Central Region Second Team honors, as well as All-GSC First Team honors. During his two-year career, Pennell collected 157 hits, 27 doubles, 2 triples, 26 home runs, 134 RBI and 127 runs scored.
During a two-year career that spanned during 2006-07, Haworth helped set the foundation for the program after earning ABCA, NCBWA and Daktronics All-South Central First Team honors at third base, as well as being named to the 2007 ABCA All-America Second Team and as a NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention during his final season. Haworth was named to the All-GSC First Team in 2007 and remains to be the only player in GSC history to be named GSC Player and Pitcher of the Week in the same week. The third baseman batted .371 for his career, including 35 doubles, 6 triples, 19 home runs, 101 RBI, 95 runs and a career .618 slugging percentage. During his final season, the Tigers set a program-best record with a 50-10 record overall, including hosting the 2007 NCAA South Central Region Tournament at Rab Rodgers Field.
After a solid junior campaign, Makonnen exploded in 2008 with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs to earn him GSC Player of the Year honors at first base, as well as being named to the NCAA Division National Championship All-Tournament Team, NCAA South Central Regional All-Tournament Team, Daktronics All-South Region Second Team and All-GSC First Team during his senior campaign. Makonnen introduced himself to the GSC in 2007 with a .322 average in 59 starts with 65 hits, 11 doubles, 4 triples, 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in earning himself 2007 Daktronics All-South Central Region Second Team honors and being named to the All-GSC First Team and Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Central Region Second Team as a Utility player. In his two-year career, Makonnen collected 140 hits, 26 doubles, 4 triples, 37 home runs, 129 RBIs and 109 runs scored. Makonnen owns the third best stolen base percentage in GSC history at .902.
Beasley enjoyed an All-American type of season in 2007 as an outfielder, earning Daktronics and NCBWA All-America First Team honors, along with selections to the ABCA All-America Second Team, and a trio of All-South Central Region First Team selections in the outfield by ABCA, NCBWA and Daktronics. The speedster also was named to the All-GSC First Team during his senior campaign, which included the third-longest hitting streak in GSC history at 31 games. His two-year career included a .355 batting average with 103 runs, 17 doubles, 7 triples, 15 home runs, 92 RBIs and was 30-for-39 in stolen base attempts.
At the head of the program during its historic rise, former coach Scott Norwood was honored with an Honorable Mention selection after compiling a 158-77 overall record, including a 55-31 GSC mark. Norwood led the Tigers to two NCAA Tournaments with an 8-4 record overall in postseason games, including the National Championship Runners-Up finish to Mount Olive in 2008, that included an NCAA South Central Region Championship. The former coach also guided Ouachita to three GSC Tournaments, including a GSC West Division crown in 2007 with a 50-10 record. Norwood led the program from 2004-08, including being named as the Natural State Baseball Coach of the Year in 2008.
Former Delta State outfielder Jud Thigpen was named as the GSC West Division Player of the Decade, while Statesmen Coach Mike Kinnison was tabbed as GSC West Division Coach of the Decade. Southern Arkansas pitcher Hayden Simpson earned GSC Pitcher of the Decade.
