By CHASE UPTON/Sports Editor
TYLER, Texas — The University of Texas at Tyler swept two of the Lone Star Conference’s top individual baseball honors Wednesday night as senior catcher Cole Ketzner was named LSC Player of the Year and senior right-hander Julio Garcia earned LSC Pitcher of the Year honors at the conference championship banquet.
The honors headline a historic season for the Patriots, who also captured the program’s first Lone Star Conference regular-season championship after posting 40 victories entering postseason play.
Ketzner turned in one of the top offensive seasons in the conference, batting .399 with 12 home runs, 13 doubles and a league-best 62 RBI.
The Magnolia, Texas, native ranked among the LSC leaders in slugging percentage (.709), OPS (1.214) and on-base percentage (.505) while committing just one error defensively behind the plate.
Garcia anchored the Patriots’ pitching staff throughout the spring, finishing the regular season 8-2 with a conference-leading 2.55 ERA. The Baytown, Texas, native threw three complete games, including one shutout, and walked only nine batters across 60 innings while recording 48 strikeouts.
UT Tyler’s coaching staff of Brent Porche, Taylor White, Jeff Robinson, Wade Pope and Baylor Battles was voted LSC Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Patriots to the top seed in the conference tournament.
The Patriots placed eight players on the All-LSC teams.
First Team All-LSC
• Julio Garcia, starting pitcher
• Caden Copeland, starting pitcher
• Coleson Abel, relief pitcher
• Cole Ketzner, catcher
Second Team All-LSC
• Tanner Hornback, second base
• Connor Clark, outfield
Third Team All-LSC
• Kaston Mason, outfield
• Luke Smith, designated hitter
The Lone Star Conference also announced its All-Defensive Team on Wednesday, with UT Tyler earning two selections.
Senior pitcher Dylan Blomquist and junior outfielder Connor Clark were recognized after both recorded perfect 1.000 fielding percentages during the regular season.
UT Tyler also landed two players on the 2026 LSC Baseball All-Academic Team.
Caden Copeland, a finance major from Midlothian, Texas, and Tanner Hornback, an accounting major from Lafayette, Louisiana, earned the academic distinction.
UT Tyler now shifts its focus to postseason play as the Patriots prepare to host the Lone Star Conference Championship at Irwin Field.
The double-elimination tournament begins Thursday, May 7, with No. 19 Angelo State University (38-15) facing St. Mary’s University (38-15) at 2 p.m. before the No. 8 Patriots (40-10) open tournament play against Lubbock Christian University (33-19) at 6 p.m.
UT Tyler will look to capture the LSC tournament championship and secure the conference’s automatic bid to the South Central Regional.
For more info on the LSC Baseball Championship click here.
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