2017 Conference USA Baseball Awards

Some high praise today from those Golden Eagles and there was plenty to go around for the others. The nation’s leader in hits, Dylan Burdeaux, has been tabbed as Conference USA Player of the Year. Matt Wallner as Freshman of the Year, Scott Berry as Keith LeClair Coach of the Year, and Chad Caillet as assistant Coach of the Year.
USM also leads the league in first-team selections with five: Burdeaux, Braley, McCarty, Nick Sandlin, and Colt Smith.
Wallner and fellow outfielder Mason Irby landed on the second team, giving Southern Miss the most total selections as well with seven.
Burdeaux said, “It’s a team award. I mean you’ve got to look at being a leadoff hitter with the amount of RBI’s, that doesn’t happen without the guys in front of me. And all of my numbers are definitely because of the people that surround me every single day in that lineup.”
Wallner said, “Bigger from the team aspect. Never dreamed we’d be able to do what we’ve been able to do as a team, which has just been awesome. But definitely it’s been a pretty incredible year that hopefully we can just keep going, starting tomorrow.”
Burdeaux is the first USM player to ever win Player of the Year and Wallner just the second to take home Freshmen of the Year honors.