Salem, Hunter Named to NCBWA Preseason All-America Team
11/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
DALLAS, Texas -- University of Alabama senior center fielder Emeel Salem (Mountain Brook) was named First-Team preseason All-American today by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association.
Salem, who was the only unanimous All-SEC selection last year as a junior, led the Crimson Tide to a 44-21 overall record and the school's 14th and league-leading Southeastern Conference championship. Alabama hosted and won the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional before losing to eventual College World Series runner-up North Carolina in the NCAA Super Regionals.
In 65 games last year, Salem led the Crimson Tide with a .356 (101-for-284) batting average, with two home runs and 32 RBI. He also led the Crimson Tide with 67 runs scored and he paced the SEC with 36 stolen bases. In addition, he was named First-Team All-America by College Baseball Foundation and was an ESPN the Magazine First-Team Academic All-America selection with a double major in Business Management and Spanish.
WIth his inclusion on the NCBWA First-Team, Salem is also a candidate for the 2007 Dick Howser Trophy, presented to the college baseball player of the year by the NCBWA. The award is
given annually by the NCBWA and St. Petersburg (Fla.) Area Chamber of Commerce in Omaha, Neb., prior to the start of the College World Series.
Sophomore right-hand pitcher Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Indiana) was a Third Team NCBWA preseason All-America pick on Thursday.
Hunter posted a 10-3 (.000) record and 3.60 ERA in 20 appearances on the mound last season. He set Alabama freshman records for wins (10) and innings pitched (117 1/3). He was the winning pitcher against Tennessee when the Crimson Tide clinched a share of the 2006 SEC Championship.
Hunter pitched this summer for the USA National Team and won the gold medal at the FISU (International University Sports Federation) World Championships in Cuba.
