Tyler Link Hometown: Houston, Texas Position: Student Assistant Coach Experience: 2nd Season

Tyler Link, who was a third-team All-Southland Conference selection as an outfielder for Lamar in 2009, is helping the Cardinals as a student assistant this season while completing work on his bachelor's degree in general studies. He works mainly with the outfielders and hitters as well as assisting with field maintenance and helping the other coaches with day-to-day operations.

Link started all 60 games for the Cardinals last spring and was second on the team in batting with a .369 average. He scored a school-record 73 runs and had 86 hits, 14 doubles, a team-best three triples, seven home runs (tied for team best) and 40 runs batted in. He also led the team in bases on balls with 47 and in stolen bases with 15 on 17 attempts.

Link put together a career-high, 13-game hitting streak late in the season, and he earlier had a 10-gamer. He enjoyed two four-for-four games, and he also had a four-for-five performance. He slugged a grand slam home run and had a career-high six RBIs in a 16-2 victory over Austin Peay, and he had a team-best 28 multiple-hit games.

For his two-season Cardinal career, Link batted .356 for the fifth-best mark in school history. His career totals are 118 runs scored, 160 hits, 27 doubles, five triples, 12 homers, 68 RBIs, 66 walks and 26 stolen bases on 32 attempts.

Link played his first two collegiate seasons at Kansas State, posting batting averages of .294 and .301. He had six doubles, one homer and 14 RBIs and was successful on eight of 14 stolen base attempts. He was a three-year all-district performer at Houston's Langham Creek High School.

"It's no great coincidence that two of the hardest-working guys we had on the team last year were the co-winners of the Al Vincent Award (for best hitting performance), and Tyler Link was one of them (Brian Taylor was the other)," said Gilligan. "He's a short person (5-foot-9), but he's not short on strength or on athletic ability.

"Tyler made himself a good player, and it was fun watching him do it. He was a great asset to our team as a player. Everyone who watched him play and watched him work had a great amount of respect for him, and I'm sure he'll earn the same kind of respect for himself as a coach."