Conference USA announces Gavin Baechle as Special Teams Player of the Year

DALLAS, Texas - UTEP’s kicker Gavin Baechle, who produced a stellar 2022 season and overall career, was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year as league officials announced its 2022 Players of the Year on Wednesday as selected by the league’s 11 head football coaches.

Baechle is the first Miner to be named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year since 2006 (Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr., kick/punt returner) and second overall to earn player of the year.

The McKinney, Texas, product leads C-USA with 22 field goals, and ranks fourth nationally.

Baechle’s 91.7 percent (22-24) leads C-USA while rating second in field goal attempts. He added a 31-for-31 effort on extra points.

Baechle finished with 97 points (22 FG, 31 XP), ranking fifth in C-USA. His 8.1 points per game is third best.

Baechle’s 97 points is also the ninth most points scored overall during a single season in program history.

“Bagel” concluded his career as one of the top kickers in school history.

Baechle finished as UTEP’s all-time leader with 58 made field goals.

His 22 consecutive makes are also a school record and were three short of the NCAA record (25 by Washington’s Chuck Nelson in 1982).

Baechle’s 22 makes in ‘22 is a career high while it ranks second all-time for a single season in school history.

Baechle’s 91.7 percent on field goals is second best in school history.

He is one of two Miners to hit over 90 percent in single season.

His 79.5 percent on career field goals (58-73) places him second all-time in program history.

Baechle tallied 284 career points (58 FG, 110 XP), finishing third on the program’s all-time list for overall players, and second all-time for kickers only.

Baechle finished 110-for-111 on extra points in his career and ranks third in program history with 110 made extra points.

He hit 99.1 percent of his extra points during his career, ranking no. 1 all-time in program history.

Baechle tied first in C-USA in kickoffs, averaging 63.6 yards per kick.

Baechle tallied 4,004 yards on 63 kickoffs with 40 touchbacks.

One of Baechle’s memorable highlights included the walk-off, game-winning field goal to beat Florida Atlantic on Oct. 22.

It was UTEP’s first walk-off victory since the 2010 season.

Baechle finished 3-for-3 on field goals against the Owls, tying his career best for made field goals.

Baechle drilled a career-long 54-yard make through the uprights at no. 9 Oklahoma on national television Sept. 3.

He added a 48 yarder against the Sooners, becoming the first UTEP kicker since the 2010 season to connect on at least two field goals of 48 yards or more in the same contest.

Baechle tied his career high with a 5-for-5 effort on extra points at Charlotte, while also going 2-for-2 on field goals against the 49ers on Oct. 1.

Baechle went 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points during UTEP’s upset win over Boise State on Sept. 23 on national television. Baechle nailed a 51-yard field goal at Rice on Nov. 3, also on national tv.

Baechle joins Higgins Jr., and four other Miners who earned player of the year awards.

Robert Rodriguez (2004), Brian Young (1999), Barron Wortham (1993) and Raymond Morris (1983) garnered the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) defensive player of the year awards during their respective campaigns.

The league also announced UTSA quarterback Frank Harris the C-USA Most Valuable Player (40 total touchdowns - 31 pass, nine rush - 71.1 completion percentage), UAB running back DeWayne McBride as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year (nation’s leading rusher with 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns), and North Texas linebacker KD Davis was named the C-USA Defensive Player of Year (132 tackles led league, INT, sack).

UTSA running back Kevorian Barnes was selected at the C-USA Freshman of Year (713 yards rushing, six touchdowns) and WKU quarterback Austin Reed was named C-USA Newcomer of the Year (league-high 4,247 yards with 44 total touchdowns).