LIVINGSTON – West Alabama third baseman Mitch Holgate was named Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year on Tuesday. Senior first baseman DJ Turo also received honors being named to the All-GSC Baseball Second Team.

Holgate is the first West Alabama baseball player to be named Freshman of the Year since Rob Dahlberg in 2006. The Ontario native has recorded the team’s second best batting average with a .314 and has recorded the second most runs scored with 27. Holgate had 11 doubles, two triples and 18 RBI in his first season. He is second in the conference in stolen bases with 25 in 28 attempts.

Turo has achieved All-GSC honors in both of his seasons at UWA. He was named All-GSC First Team last year as well as Pre-season All-GSC First Team this year. The Mobile  native leads West Alabama with a .329 batting average, four home runs, 28 RBI and six multiple RBI games. Defensively he has assembled a .988 fielding percentage and leads the conference with 394 putouts.

West Alabama baseball now prepares for the post season when it will face West Florida in game one of the Taziki’s Gulf South Conference tournament. The game is set for 10 a.m. (EDT) on Thursday at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tenn.