Florida's LaPorta SEC Player of the Year

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> <br> LaPorta, a sophomore, led the conference with 23 homers and finished second with 67 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .742.<br> <br> He was among several recipients of the conference&#39;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> <br> The conference&#39;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> <br> 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> <br> 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> <br> The conference also announced the list of players named to this season&#39;s first and second-team All-SEC squads.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/5/133890