BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Florida first baseman Matt LaPorta has been selected as the 2005 Southeastern Conference Baseball Player of the Year, league officials said Tuesday.<br>
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LaPorta, a sophomore, led the conference with 23 homers and finished second with 67 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .742.<br>
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He was among several recipients of the conference's annual baseball honors. Tennessee junior righthander Luke Hochevar was named SEC Pitcher of the Year. He notched a league-high 13 wins and led the SEC in innings pitched and strikeouts.<br>
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The conference's 12 head baseball coaches voted Tennessee catcher J.P. Arencibia Freshman of the Year. He had 78 hits to help Tennessee to an 18-11 conference mark.<br>
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The coaches also chose Florida skipper Pat McMahon as SEC Coach of the Year. He led the Gators to a 20-10 record in conference play and the SEC regular season title.<br>
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LSU pitcher Jason Determann was named SEC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year after notching seven saves and earning an SEC Pitcher of the Week title.<br>
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The conference also announced the list of players named to this season's first and second-team All-SEC squads.<br>
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(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
