Baseball's Preston Tucker Collects Freshman All-America Honor
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 | Baseball
Florida first baseman Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) was named to the 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team chosen by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on Wednesday. The list features a who's who of tremendous baseball talent.
The SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, Tucker leads the ninth-ranked Gators with a single-season school record 83 runs batted in, 14 home runs, 13 doubles and 145 total bases and is second on the squad with a .357 batting average. The slugger also leads the Orange and Blue in slugging percentage (.617), multiple-hit (25) and multiple-RBI games (23).
Tucker was named the NCAA Gainesville Regional's Most Outstanding Player last Sunday night after going 9-for-13 (.692) over the three Florida victories with six RBI, two homers and a slugging percentage of 1.231. The rookie was 4-for-5 in the championship-game triumph over the Miami (Fla.) and notched three RBI. He belted his team-leading 14th homer with a two-run jack as part of a seven-run, fifth-inning explosion.
A unanimous choice on the SEC's All-Freshman squad, Tucker had a spectacular debut to his collegiate career by leading the SEC in league play with 40 RBI. Named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times during the campaign (March 30, April 13, April 27), the Tampa native had a .350 batting average, a .545 slugging percentage, 23 runs and 14 extra-base hits during conference action in helping the Gators capture their first Eastern Division title since 2005.
Tucker and the Gators (42-20) will host No. 17 Southern Miss (38-24) in NCAA Super Regional action at McKethan Stadium starting on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., live on ESPNU. The clubs will meet in a best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The team is headed by Collegiate Baseball's Freshman Pitcher of The Year Trevor Bauer of UCLA and Freshman Player of The Year third baseman Anthony Rendon of Rice.
Here is a rundown on the 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-Americans as chosen by Collegiate Baseball:
Starting Pitchers
RHP Trevor Bauer, UCLA — Named Collegiate Baseball's National Freshman Pitcher of The Year, he also was chosen Freshman of The Year in the Pac-10 and a first team Pac-10 selection. Bauer was 9-3 with a 2.99 ERA, 93 strikeouts and a team-high 105.1 innings. He also was 7-0 in Pac-10 games with four complete games. Bauer enrolled at UCLA in January 2009 after graduating one semester early from Hart High School. He began the season pitching in the bullpen before earning a slot in the starting rotation. Bauer twice earned Pac-10 Pitcher of The Week honors.
RHP Eric Harrington, Lamar — A first-team Southland Conference pick and the league's Freshman Player of The Year, Harrington was 8-1 with a 3.01 ERA. He fanned 63 batters and walked 26 in 83.2 innings.
RHP Gerrit Cole, UCLA — A first-team Pac-10 selection, Cole struck out 93 batters with a 4-5 record and 3.34 ERA.
RHP Anthony Meo, Coastal Carolina — A first-team Big South selection, Meo was 6-2 with a 3.21 ERA and 43 strikeouts.
RHP Cole Cook, Pepperdine — A member of the West Coast All-Freshman Team, Cook was 6-3 with a 3.78 ERA and posted 64 strikeouts.
RHP Noe Ramirez, Cal State Fullerton — The Co-Freshman Pitcher of The Year in the Big West, Ramirez was 8-1 and posted a 2.93 ERA with 78 strikeouts and 17 walks in 92 innings.
RHP Sam Gaviglio, Oregon State — An Honorable Mention Pac-10 pick, he was 9-1 with a 2.84 ERA and one save with 49 strikeouts and seven walks.
RHP Tyler Pill, Cal State Fullerton — Co-Freshman Pitcher of The Year in the Big West, Pill was 8-3 with a 4.29 ERA. He posted 58 strikeouts and 11 walks.
RHP David Peterson, College of Charleston — A member of the Southern Conference All-Freshman team, Peterson was 7-3 with 47 strikeouts and 15 walks.
RHP Jesse Darrah, Sacramento State — A second-team Western Athletic Conference pick, Darrah posted an 8-2 record with 51 strikeouts.
RHP Kyle Hendricks, Dartmouth — A second-team Ivy League selection, Hendricks was 6-2 with a 4.10 ERA and three complete games. He also fanned 43 batters.
RHP Jordan Cooper, Wichita State — Cooper posted an 8-5 record and 2.73 ERA with two complete games. He fanned 81 batters and walked 19 in 89 innings.
LHP Sean Gilmartin, Florida State — A first-team Atlantic Coast Conference selection, Gilmartin was 11-3 with a 3.64 ERA and one save. He fanned 75 batters and walked 35 in 84 innings.
LHP Ali Simpson, Bethune-Cookman — Named Rookie of The Year in the MEAC, Simpson posted a 9-2 record and 2.70 ERA over 73.1 innings. He fanned 79 batters and walked 28.
LHP Mitchell Lambson, Arizona State — A first-team Pac-10 selection, Lambson was 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA and three saves. He also fanned 61 batters.
LHP Brett Mooneyham, Stanford — An Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 selection, Mooneyham was 6-3 with a 4.14 ERA. He fanned 72 batters.
LHP Cameron Hobson, Dayton — A second-team Atlantic 10 pick and Rookie of The Year in the league, Hobson was 6-1 with a 3.42 ERA and 78 strikeouts.
LHP Charlie Lowell, Wichita State — Lowell recorded a 6-2 record and 2.95 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 33 walks in 64 innings.
LHP Kevin Brandt, East Carolina — A Conference USA All-Freshmen team pick, Brandt was 7-1 with a 3.48 ERA. He fanned 55 batters and walked 18.
LHP Ryan Richter, Notre Dame — Richter was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA and posted 19 strikeouts.
Relief Pitchers
Matty Ott, LSU — A first-team Southeastern Conference selection and Co-Freshman of The Year in the SEC, Ott recorded 14 saves, a 3-2 record and 2.27 ERA. He fanned 61 batters and walked only four in 43.2 innings.
Michael Schum, Wright State — Named Relief Pitcher of The Year in the Horizon League, Schum recorded 13 saves and a 1.68 ERA. He struck out 55 batters and walked only 10 in 69.2 innings of work.
Andrew Chafin, Kent State — Named Freshman of The Year in the Mid-American Conference and a first team all-conference pick, Chafin posted eight saves, a 4-1 record and a microscopic 1.26 ERA in 35.2 innings. He fanned 55 batters and walked 16.
Tyler Mizenko, Winthrop — A second-team Big South selection, Mizenko posted 10 saves with a 4.19 ERA and had 31 strikeouts.
Chad Sheppard, Northwestern State — Sheppard recorded seven saves, a 4-0 record and 1.52 ERA with 36 strikeouts.
Justin Malone, Georgia State — Malone had seven saves, a 1-0 record and 1.46 ERA with 21 strikeouts.
James Allen, Kansas State — Allen posted five saves with a 3.29 ERA and 26 strikeouts.
Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt — Gray registered five saves, 4-1 record and 4.74 ERA with 44 strikeouts.
Catchers
Jeremy Schaffer, Tulane — A first team Conference USA pick and member of the All-Freshman team in the league, Schaffer hit .322 with 12 homers, seven doubles and 51 RBIs. He is also a superb defensive player.
Beau Taylor, UCF — A Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection, Taylor hit .360 with four homers, 12 doubles and 17 RBIs.
Jett Bandy, Arizona — An Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 pick, Bandy hit .299 with 21 doubles, four homers and 39 RBIs.
Justin Kline, North Dakota State — A first-team Summit League pick, Kline hit .432 with eight doubles and 20 RBIs.
Nathan Orf, Illinois-Chicago — Named to the second-team Horizon League team, Orf hit .356 with seven doubles and 15 RBIs.
Peter O'Brien, Bethune-Cookman — Named to the first-team MEAC squad, O'Brien hit .324 with 10 doubles and 25 RBIs.
Nick Rickles, Stetson — Named to the All-Freshman team in the Atlantic Sun Conference, Rickles hit .296 with five homers, 12 doubles and 40 RBIs.
First Basemen
Preston Tucker, Florida — Named Co-Freshman of The Year in the Southeastern Conference, Tucker hit .357 with 14 homers, 13 doubles and 83 RBIs.
Ian Nielsen, Ball State — Nielsen hit .360 with seven homers, 12 doubles and 42 RBIs.
Mike Martinez, Florida International — A first-team Sun Belt pick, Martinez hit .366 with five homers, four doubles and 29 RBIs.
Nick O'Shea, Minnesota — An All-Freshman Big Ten pick, O'Shea hit the most homers by a freshman (10) since 1998 for the Golden Gophers. He also hit 13 doubles and knocked in 41 runs.
Eduardo Gonzalez, Alcorn State — Named Freshman of The Year in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and a second-team all-league pick, he hit .419 with 11 doubles and 36 RBIs. He also had 83 total bases.
Ricky Oropesa, Southern California — An Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 pick, Oropesa hit .314 with 13 homers, eight doubles and 48 RBIs.
Todd Brazeal, USF — A second-team Big East selection, Brazeal hit .366 with 14 doubles and 36 RBIs.
Second Basemen
Matt Jensen, Cal Poly — Named Freshman Player of The Year in the Big West and a first-team Big West selection, Jensen hit .375 with 9 homers, 15 doubles and 53 RBIs. He also had a 23-game hitting streak.
Dan Paolini, Siena — Rookie of The Year in the MAAC and a second-team all-conference selection, Paolini hit .430 with 11 homers, 12 doubles and 53 RBIs. He also swiped 7 of 9 bases.
Eric Charles, Purdue — A third-team Big Ten Conference selection and a member of the All-Freshman Big Ten team, Charles hit .385 with five doubles, two homers and 19 RBIs.
Zach Price, Army — A first-team Patriot League pick and Rookie of The Year in the league, Price hit .359 with nine doubles, 22 RBIs and scored 47 runs with 13 stolen bases.
Kevin Medrano, Missouri State — Freshman of The Year in the Missouri Valley Conference, Medrano hit .375 with 50 total bases.
Levi Michael, North Carolina — Michael hit .297 with 12 homers 10 doubles and 45 RBIs for the Tar Heels.
Riley Reynolds, Vanderbilt — An All-Freshman Team pick in the Southeastern Conference, Reynolds hit .350 with 13 doubles and 20 RBIs. He also swiped 12 bases.
Mark Jones, Stetson — A member of the All-Freshman Atlantic Sun team, Jones hit .363 with seven homers, 12 doubles and 44 RBIs.
Shortstops
Kris Kauppila, Portland — A member of the All-Freshmen West Coast team, Kauppila hit .353 with 17 doubles, three homers and 19 RBIs. He also swiped seven bases.
Jeff Kemp, Radford — The Freshman of The Year in the Big South hit .341 with eight doubles, five homers and 35 RBIs.
Richie Rodriguez, Eastern Kentucky — A second-team Ohio Valley selection, Rodriguez hit .302 with 15 doubles and 35 RBIs. He also swiped 14 bases.
Taylor Motter, Coastal Carolina — Motter hit .301 with 17 doubles and 26 RBIs.
Joe Sclafani, Dartmouth — A first-team Ivy League selection, Sclafani hit .388 with 31 hits in 19 league contests.
Casey McElroy, Auburn — McElroy hit .283 with eight homers, 10 doubles and 20 RBIs.
A.J. Pettersen, Minnesota — A second-team Big Ten selection, Pettersen had 23 multi-hit games as he recorded a .348 batting average with seven doubles and 41 RBIs. He also was superb on defense.
Third Basemen
Anthony Rendon, Rice — Collegiate Baseball's National Freshman Player of The Year, Rendon became the first player in Conference USA history to be named both the league Player of The Year and Freshman of The Year in the same season. He had a sensational debut at the NCAA Division I level, leading the league in home runs (19) and leading the Owls in batting average (.375) and RBI (64). Rendon scored 54 runs, walked 28 times and added 12 doubles to help account for a conference-best .704 slugging percentage. If that wasn't enough, he swiped 9 of 11 bases and struck out only 22 times in 216 at-bats
Troy Channing, St. Mary's — Freshman of The Year in the West Coast Conference and a first-team All-League pick, Channing hit .379 with 20 homers and 75 RBIs. He had 149 total bass and a .723 slugging percentage.
Bo Reeder, East Tennessee State — Named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team, Reeder hit .335 with 15 homers, 21 doubles and 50 RBIs.
Troy Channing, St. Mary's — Freshman of The Year in the West Coast Conference and a first-team West Coast pick, he hit .379 with 20 homers, 11 doubles and 75 RBIs.
Tyler Bream, Liberty — Bream hit .353 with 16 doubles, eight homers and 56 RBIs.
Andrew Deeds, Morehead State — A member of the All-Freshman Ohio Valley team, Deeds hit .375 with five homers and 32 RBIs. He also swiped 13 bases.
Colby May, Georgia — An All-SEC Freshman selection, May hit .360 with 11 homers, 10 doubles and 39 RBIs.
Garrett Buechele, Oklahoma — Named Freshman of The Year in the Big 12 Conference and a second-team Big 12 pick, Buechele hit .356 with 14 doubles and 37 RBIs.
Jacob Tanis, Mercer — Named to the All-Freshman team in the Atlantic Sun, Tanis hit .338 with 10 homers, 12 doubles and 30 RBIs.
Matt Skole, Georgia Tech — Skole hit 12 homers and 10 doubles with 43 RBIs for the Yellow Jackets as he hit .313.
Zach Miller, Saint Louis — A member of the All-Rookie team in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Miller hit .324 with 10 homers and 61 RBIs.
Bo Cuthbertson, Southern Utah — Cuthbertson hit .412 with seven doubles and 11 RBIs.
Sam Eberle, Jacksonville State — An Ohio Valley All-Freshman pick, Eberle hit .292 with nine homers and 37 RBIs.
Steven Proscia, Virginia — Proscia hit .351 with five homers, 17 doubles and 44 RBIs.
Outfielders
Kyle Bluestein, Jacksonville State — Named Rookie of The Year in the Ohio Valley Conference, Bluestein hit .393 with 9 homers, 21 doubles and 46 RBIs. He also was named to the All-Freshman team in the Ohio Valley Conference with 64 hits and 48 runs scored.
Kolten Wong, Hawaii — Freshman of The Year in the Western Athletic Conference, Wong hit .341 with 11 homers, 21 doubles, two triples and 52 RBIs. He was a first-team WAC selection with 11 stolen bases and 46 runs scored.
Xavier Macklin, North Carolina A&T — A first-team MEAC pick, Macklin hit .371 with 10 homers, 20 doubles and 48 RBIs. He also swiped 14 of 19 bases.
George Springer, Connecticut — A first-team Big East selection and Rookie of The Year in the Big East, Springer hit .358 with 16 homers, 14 doubles, and 57 RBIs. He also swiped 12 bases.
Dusty Robinson, Fresno State — A first-team Western Athletic Conference selection, Robinson hit .329 with 10 homers, 12 doubles and 36 RBIs.
Tyler Sibley, Texas State — A second-team Southland pick, Sibley hit .367 with 10 homers, 13 doubles, 38 RBIs and swiped 14 of 18 bases.
Dylan Craig, Belmont — A second-team Atlantic Sun pick and Freshman of The Year in the league, Craig posted a 26-game hitting streak and hit .389 with 12 doubles and 29 RBIs.
Taylor Dugas, Alabama — A member of the SEC All-Freshman team, Dugas hit .366 with 19 doubles, two homers and 26 RBIs. He also swiped 13 bases.
Jackie Bradley, South Carolina — An All-SEC Freshman selection, Bradley hit .349 with 11 homers, 11 doubles and 46 RBIs. He also swiped 8 of 10 bases.
Justin Gominsky, Minnesota — A member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team, Gominsky hit .336 with 10 doubles, 23 RBIs and swiped 10 bases. He also had seven outfield assists.
Willie Argo, Illinois — A third-team Big Ten pick and member of the All-Freshmen Big Ten squad, Argo hit .350 with nine homers, seven doubles and 33 RBIs.
Lee Orr, McNeese State — A third-team Southland Conference pick, Orr hit .329 with 13 homers, nine doubles and 25 RBIs. He also swiped 15 bases.
Ross Heffley, Western Carolina — Freshman of The Year in the Southern Conference, Heffley hit .392 with 18 doubles and 48 RBIs.
Steve Selsky, Arizona — An Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 selection, Selsky hit .318 with seven homers, eight doubles and 21 RBIs.
Daniel Bowman, Coastal Carolina — A second-team Big South pick, Bowman hit .324 with 11 doubles, nine homers and 40 RBIs.
Derek Jones, Washington State — An Honorable Mention Pac-10 selection, Jones cracked 11 homers with eight doubles and 35 RBIs for the Cougars.
Zach Borenstein, Eastern Illinois — An All-Freshman Ohio Valley pick, Borenstein hit .392 with five homers, five doubles and 27 RBIs.
Designated Hitters
Alex Dickerson, Indiana — Freshman of The Year in the Big Ten and a second-team league selection, Dickerson hit .367 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs.
Aaron Westlake, Vanderbilt — Named to the All-Freshman SEC team, Westlake hit .395 with six homers, 11 doubles and 44 RBIs.
C.J. Cron, Utah — Freshman of The Year in the Mountain West Conference, Cron hit .341 with nine homers, 10 doubles and 47 RBIs. He also accumulated 112 total bases.
Derrick Shaw, Florida A&M — A first-team MEAC selection, Shaw hit .366 with nine doubles, 42 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
Nick Melino, Nevada — A first-team Western Athletic Conference pick, Melino hit .382 with four homers, 13 doubles and 36 RBIs.
Ronnie Shaeffer, UC Irvine — A second-team Big West selection, Shaeffer hit .406 with six doubles and 20 RBIs for the Anteaters.
Ian Leisenheimer, Maine — Leisenheimer hit .394 with four homers, four doubles and 36 RBIs for the Black Bears.
Multiple-Position Athletes
Danny Hultzen, Virginia — A first-team Atlantic Coast Conference selection and Freshman of The Year in the ACC, Hultzen did it all for the Cavaliers. As a pitcher, he was 8-1 with a 2.21 ERA and fanned 86 batters over 73.1 innings with 25 walks. He also hit .333 with seven doubles, three homers and 33 RBIs with seven stolen bases.
Nick Ramirez, Cal State Fullerton — A first-team Big West selection, Ramirez hit .296 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA as he fanned 25 batters with seven walks.
Zack Cox, Arkansas — Cox posted a .295 batting average and hit seven homers, nine doubles and 25 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 5-1 with a 4.50 ERA.
Brett Harris, Old Dominion — Named Rookie of The Year in the Colonial Conference, Harris hit .315 with 31 RBIs and registered a 6-4 record as a pitcher with a 4.95 ERA.
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