Tag: NCBWA

The Texas A&M baseball team remains the unanimous No. 1 team in the country

The Aggies are rolling remaining the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation after another 3-1 week and a Top 25 series win

Texas A&M (38-6, 15-6 SEC) continues to show just how elite a team can be in the toughest conference in the country. The Aggies are a complete team from top to bottom, and unlike last season, if they do have some pitching troubles, the offense can, nine times out of ten, put up enough runs to keep them in any game.

The polls have spoken, and the Aggies reign as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation. Their dynamic duo, Jace LaViolette, and Braden Montgomery have been a force to be reckoned with, combining for an impressive 116 hits, 45 home runs, and 131 RBIs this season. As we cross the halfway mark of conference play, A&M’s dominance is clear. The only question that remains is have they peaked too early?

Texas A&M will face Tarleton on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m. CST, where the game will air on SEC Network+.

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NCBWA names Texas A&M RHP Chris Cortez as one of the Howser Trophy National Players of the Week

Texas A&M junior pitcher Chris Cortez was named the NCBWA Pitcher of the Week after a going 2-0 on the week

Texas A&M pitcher Chris Cortez earn his second player of the week honor with The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) naming their Howser Trophy National Players of the Week.

Cortez was named the pitcher of the week after a solid week of work in the midweek game and his relief appearance in game three against Vanderbilt.

The NCBWA recognized the junior’s production after the big week by naming him one of the Howser Trophy National Players of the Week. Below is the release excerpt from their website:

“Cortez, who earned his first career weekly honor, was brilliant in relief for Texas A&M as the junior tossed 8.1 scoreless innings, struck out a league-best 15 batters and logged a 2-0 record. In Tuesday’s win over UTSA, the Las Vegas, Nevada, native struck out seven over four scoreless frames as the Aggies completed the comeback. On Sunday, the junior calmed the early surge from No. 6 Vanderbilt and delivered 4.1 scoreless innings to go along with a career-high tying eight strikeouts. Cortez also only allowed three hits and two walks in his two appearances.

The two victories improved Cortez to 5-1 on the year and lowered his ERA to 2.32. The junior also upped his strikeout total to 47 in only 31 innings”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

The Texas A&M baseball team is the unanimous No. 1 team in the country

The Aggies are at the top of the rankings in every major poll after a stellar week on the diamond

The Texas A&M Aggie baseball team (32-4, 11-4 SEC) has the best overall record in Division One college baseball and the third-best record in the conference. A trio of events allowed the Aggies to move into the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2016.

First, the A&M took care of business last week, going 4-0 while beating a good UTSA team in the midweek game before blowing the doors of No. 6 Vanderbilt in a three-game sweep. The second and third Arkansas and Clemson lost their conference games 2-1 over the weekend. These three things ensured the Maroon & White would game a jump to the top spot.

They have been proving a lot since dropping their conference series opener and arguably have the best lineup in the country with the most dangerous 1 through 3. Gavin Grahovac, Jace LaViolette, and Braden Montgomery have combined for 48 home runs with 141 RBI through 36 games. The significant improvement in the pitching this year has also played a major part in the Aggies’ staying in a game where the bats might not have been the best.

As of Week 9, there is no better team in the nation. Everyone agrees.

Texas A&M will face Air Force on Tuesday, April 16, at 4:00 p.m. CT, where the game will air on SEC Network+.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Where does LSU baseball rank in the national polls after Week 3?

The Tigers finished the weekend 3-0 and were crowned champions of the Astros Foundation Classic.

We are three weeks into the college baseball season and the LSU Tigers are coming off of a great weekend in Houston.

The Tigers went to Minute Maid Park to play in the Astros Foundation Classic. The Tigers took on No. 14 Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State. Thanks to some great pitching and timely hitting, the Tigers finished the weekend 3-0 and were crowned champions of the Classic.

So where does that put them in the rankings? LSU was floating around the No. 2 mark last week and it seems not much has changed this week. The only difference is that Arkansas has jumped LSU in a few polls. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Here’s the full rundown of the national rankings.

Aloy added as Arkansas continues to retool baseball roster

Arkansas added a NCBWA freshman All-American to its baseball ledger over the weekend.

Dave Van Horn has had plenty of time to prepare for the future since Arkansas doesn’t find itself currently in Omaha.

On Saturday he found another diamond in the rough as Wehiwa Aloy, a shortstop from Sacramento State, committed to his Razorback baseball team.

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Aloy was recently named a freshman All-American by the NCBWA and was the freshman of the year in the Western Athletic Conference.

He hit .376 and clobbered 14 home runs while driving in 46 runs, along with scoring 69 of his own and recording an OPS of 1.089.

The right hander from Hawaii also fielded .928 and assisted on 36 double plays.

He will be draft-eligible in 2025. He joins a transfer portal class of William Edmonson, Hudson White, Ty Wilmsmeyer and Jack Wagner.

 

AJ Russell earns NCBWA honors

Tennessee pitcher AJ Russell earns NCBWA honors.

Tennessee pitcher AJ Russell earned a pair of honors from the National College Baseball Writers Association.

He was named to the organization’s Freshman All-America Team and received third-team All-America status.

Russell is the 55th All-American in program history. He is the fifth true freshman to be named an All-American at Tennessee.

Tennessee sophomore pitchers Drew Beam and Chase Burns were named freshmen All-Americans last season.

Russell (2-0) recorded a 0.94 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 28.2 inning pitched this season. He recorded multiple strikeouts in 15 of 22 appearances.

Russell allowed one run and five hits in 10 innings during Southeastern Conference play.

PHOTOS: Tony Vitello through the years

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Three Gators named Preseason All-Americans by NCBWA

Three Gators were recognized by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as Preseason All-Americans.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named a trio of Florida Gators to the Preseason All-American list this week.

Outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] earned a First Team nod, and right-hander [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] and catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] made the second team.

After pacing the SEC in home runs a season ago, Langford has collected First Team honors from Baseball American, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, Perfect Game and now the NCBWA. He’s expected to be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft and is projected a firm top-five pick by most outlets.

Langford exploded onto the season last year after seeing just four at-bats as a reserve catcher his freshman year. He moved around the lineup, hitting leadoff at one point, but never lost his power swing and led the team in most major offensive categories. The expectations are huge for Langford after the 2022 he had, and the Gators don’t make the College World Series without him.

Waldrep joined the team as a transfer from Southern Miss during the offseason. Already regarded as one of the top arms in the nation, Waldrep now gets a chance to test himself against the SEC. Similar to Langford, all five major publications named Waldrep a First Team Preseason All-American, but he didn’t get the nod from the NCBWA.

If he can repeat or improve on a season that saw him finish with a 3.20 ERA and 140 strikeouts through 90 innings, Waldrep will be one of Florida’s most important pieces this season.

Of course, Florida’s recent history with transfer is excellent, bringing us to Riopelle, who came over from Coastal Carolina before the 2022 season. He finished his first season at UF as a First Team All-SEC catcher that had impressive power numbers. He could have gone pro but opted to return to improve his stock.

That’s a big gamble considering Riopelle is giving up any leverage he had left by exhausting his college eligibility, but a strong season will make it all worth it. Lowering his strikeout numbers will be key. Riopelle struck out 78 times last season and walked just 21 times.

Florida’s season begins on Feb. 17 with a three-game series against Charleston Southern. Twenty of the team’s first 22 games take place at home.

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Chase Burns, Drew Beam named Freshman All-America by NCBWA

Chase Burns and Drew Beam named Freshman All-America by NCBWA.

Two Tennessee pitchers received Freshman All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Chase Burns and Drew Beam were named to the Freshman All-America Team.

Burns, a Gallatin, Tennessee native, was the Volunteers’ Friday starter throughout the majority of the 2022 season. He was a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

He finished 8-2 and was a member of the SEC’s All-Freshman Team and earned second-team all-conference honors. Burns received third-team All-America honors from College Baseball Weekly, the first UT freshman pitcher to do so since R.A. Dickey was named All-America in 2004.

Beam, who posted an 8-1 record, was the SEC Freshman of the Year.

He and Burns are tied for fifth in program history with wins by a freshman.

Beam was named to the conference’s all-freshman team and received second-team All-SEC honors. He was also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and was named a midseason All-America standout by D1Baseball.

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Aaron Zavala named the winner of District 9 Player of the Year award

Aaron Zavala can now add the District 9 Player of the Year award to a trophy case that already includes the Pac-12 Player of the Year award as well.

The awards just keep coming in for Oregon Ducks right fielder Aaron Zavala.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) has named Zavala the District 9 Player of the Year. This makes him the first Oregon player to win the award. Other notable winners are Dustin Pedroia, Jered Weaver, Stephen Strasburg, Marco Gonzalez, Kris Bryant and Andrew Vaughn.

Zavala, who was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball second-team All-American last week, ended the season batting .392 with nine home runs, 38 runs batted in and 64 runs scored while boasting a .525 on-base percentage and a .626 slugging percentage.

He led also the Ducks in several statistical categories such as batting average, runs, hits (78), slugging percentage, walks (50), and stolen bases (11). Zavala owns the school records for on-base percentage, runs scored, and walks.

After the regular season ended, the Keizer, Ore. native ranked second in the nation in on-base percentage (.001 behind the national leader), seventh in walks, ninth in base on balls per game (0.96), and 18th in batting average. The left-handed hitter led the Pac-12 Conference in on-base percentage, walks, and walks per game, while ranking second in batting average, sixth in hits per game, and seventh in slugging percentage and hits.

Zavala proved he wasn’t just a regular-season performer as he ended the season being named to the Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team batting .333 (6-for-18) with two home runs, four RBI, and six runs scored.

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