The Howard Payne baseball team was selected as the co-recipient of the spring 2014 Team Sportsmanship Award for baseball by a vote of the 12 ASC Student Athlete Advisory Committees the conference office announced Monday.

In baseball, Howard Payne and Ozarks were named Co-Team SAAC winners. Howard Payne receives its second award, last one was in 2011 and Ozarks collects its second award in three years (2012).

“We had a great group of young men this year. It was a real pleasure for our coaching staff to be around them all year,” said HPU head baseball coach, Stephen Lynn. “Our team had a businesslike approach to their performances all year but did so with a respectful attitude toward the game and their opponents.”

The Yellow Jackets, with a 20-23 overall and 16-17 conference record, finished the season with their first appearance in the ASC post-season tournament since 2002.

“I’m proud of our team for this award, it’s always great for our student-athletes to be recognized by their peers for their accomplishments,” added Lynn.

The award, in its seventh academic year, honors the member institution in each ASC championship sport that best displays positive qualities of sportsmanship and fair play from its student-athletes, coaches and fans throughout the season. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from each of the conference’s 12 member institutions votes on the recipients.

Seven total ASC members were selected as the spring 2014 recipients of the Team Sportsmanship Awards. The next ASC SAAC Team Sportsmanship Awards will be named after the 2014 fall season.

American Southwest Conference Spring 2014
As Presented by the ASC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Team Sportsmanship Awards
Baseball – Howard Payne, Ozarks
Men’s Golf – LeTourneau
Women’s Golf – Louisiana College
Softball – East Texas Baptist
Men’s Tennis – LeTourneau
Women’s Tennis – LeTourneau
Men’s Track & Field – Texas-Tyler
Women’s Track & Field – Hardin-Simmons