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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The New Orleans Privateers earned Preseason Southland Player and Freshman of the Year honors according to Perfect Game in the release of the all-conference teams on Thursday afternoon. 

Pearce Howard was tabbed the preseason Player of the Year while Andrew Duran was named Freshman of the Year ahead of his first season on the Lakefront. 

Howard was Second Team All-Southland and LSWA after a strong campaign at the plate in 2021. The senior from Silver Spring, Md. drove in 56 runs and hit 14 doubles while sporting a .333 batting average and .514 slugging percentage. He also cranked seven home runs, two of those being grand slams (vs. Abilene Christian, Southeastern). 

Duran is a California native who was ranked just outside of the Top 100 among all first basemen by Perfect Game coming out of high school. Duran was the 18th ranked first baseman in California at Northview HS. 

New Orleans also had four more all-conference selections according to the baseball publication in Caleb Seroski, Kasten Furr, Brandon Mitchell and Anthony Herron Jr. 

Seroski and Furr were both members of the conference’s postseason team in 2021. Seroski finished with 10 saves, tied for fourth-most in a single season in program history. Furr had a team-best 48 runs and 10 stolen bases while hitting mostly leadoff for the Privateers last season. 

Mitchell ate up innings as a starter down the stretch of 2021. The southpaw recorded five wins and had five starts of six or more innings in the last month of the season. Herron hit .374 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI in junior college last season and was a member of the All-Region squad last year.  

FROM COACH DEAN 

“I’m proud these guys are being recognized for the hard work and commitment they put in daily. It’s always nice to be recognized as a preseason all-conference player but I want them all on it at the end of the year as well.” 

The season gets going on Feb. 18 with the Andre Dawson Classic when the Privateers face Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Maestri Field.  

{Press release courtesy of UNO Athletics}