BIRMINGHAM, Ala . -- The votes have been tallied and the 2007 SWAC Baseball All-Conference team has been selected. Leading the way is Prairie View A&M's Michael Richard.

Richard was named Player of the Year and Outstanding Hitter of the Year. Fellow teammate Matthew Chase was named Pitcher of the Year, Jackson State's James Sims was selected as Newcomer of the Year and Kyle Smith of Texas Southern was named Freshman of the Year.

Richard, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior shortstop, lead the SWAC in batting averages. The Lake Charles , Louisiana, native hit a .407, first in the conference and 333rd in the nation in NCAA Division I. He also leads the conference in stolen bases (39) and ranked eighth in the nation.

A 2007 preseason All-SWAC first team selection, Chase lead the SWAC in wins with nine, and tied for 12th place in NCAA Division I. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior from Dallas, was also ranked fourth in earned run average (3.52) and innings pitched (76.2).

Sims, a 6-foot, 200-pound junior outfielder, helped lead JSU to a first place regular-season finish in the Eastern Division. Sims ranked first in the SWAC in plate appearances (236), at bats (195) and runs scored (69). The Houston, Mississippi native also ranked second in doubles with seven.

Smith, led TSU in batting average, with .361. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman from Atlanta, also lead the Tigers in runs batted in (26), slugging pct. (.500) and total bases (54).

Jackson State, Prairie View and Southern University each had five members on the all-conference teams; Alcorn State followed with three players. Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Southern each had two while Alabama A&M had one player.