University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Baseball Trio Earns All-SEC Honors
May 23, 2006 | Baseball
May 23, 2006
ATHENS --- Georgia sophomore pitcher Joshua Fields along with junior first baseman Josh Morris and junior centerfielder Joey Side earned All-Southeastern Conference honors as voted on by the league's coaches, the SEC announced Tuesday.
Fields, the league leader in saves with 14, was named to the First Team All-SEC squad while Morris and Side were second team selections. Fields is 2-2 with a 1.77 ERA and 14 saves including 10 coming in SEC action. Fields has limited SEC batters to a .179 average and he has registered 27 strikeouts and only four walks in 24.2 innings. For the year, Fields has made 27 appearances in relief and has notched 49 strikeouts and only six walks in 40.2 innings. Currently, he is tied for second in Georgia history for the single season saves record. Fields is tied with former All-American Cris Carpenter who had 14 saves in 1986. Alex Barylak holds the record with 15 in 1993.
Morris is batting .322 with 20 home runs and 59 RBI while Side is hitting .347 with nine home runs and 34 RBI to pace the Bulldog offense. It was the first time that Fields and Side have earned All-SEC recognition while Morris was an All-SEC second team pick as a freshman in 2004. Morris has established a Bulldog record for career home runs with 48. He ranks second in a single season, three behind Andy Osbolt who smashed 23 home runs in 1998. Side is enjoying his best season as a Bulldog both at the plate and in the field. He is one of the top centerfielders in the SEC with 138 putouts and five assists and among the league's offensive leaders in hits, doubles, triples and total bases.
"Joshua Fields, Josh Morris and Joey Side certainly are deserving of All-SEC honors," said Georgia coach David Perno. "They have been a big part of our success this season and throughout their Bulldog career. We were hoping to land a few more guys on the All-SEC and All-Freshmen squad, but it's a very talented league with plenty of outstanding players."
Kentucky junior first baseman Ryan Strieby was selected the 2006 SEC Baseball Player of the Year, Arkansas sophomore left-hander Nick Schmidt was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year and Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by a vote of the league's 12 head baseball coaches. The coaches also selected Kentucky's John Cohen as the SEC Coach of the Year. Alabama outfielder Emeel Salem was named the SEC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players.
The ninth-ranked Bulldogs are in Hoover, Ala., preparing for the SEC Tournament. Georgia is the third seed and will face sixth seed Vanderbilt on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
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