Five Baseball Players Named Preseason All-SEC
2/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 12, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Five Alabama players were named to the 2010 SEBaseball.com preseason All-SEC team, the website announced Friday afternoon.
Senior third baseman Jake Smith, junior second baseman Ross Wilson and junior shortstop Josh Rutledge were first-team selections, while sophomore center fielder Taylor Dugas and sophomore left-hand pitcher Adam Morgan were second team picks.
Alabama's five preseason All-SEC selections were more than any other school. LSU was second with four preseason All-SEC picks, while Mississippi, South Carolina and Vanderbilt had three each. Alabama and LSU were also tied with the most first-team All-SEC selections with three each.
SEBaseball.com rated the Crimson Tide's infield as the best in the conference and ranked the Crimson Tide third in terms of power. Smith and Wilson were ranked as the second-best 1-2 hitting punch in the league, according to SEBaseball.com editor Mark Etheridge.
"Alabama has one of the top infields in all of college baseball," Etheridge said. "All are solid defensively, athletic, and have good sticks. Jake Smith has always been superb defensively but last year he figured it out at the plate and is one of the top hitters in the conference. Ross Wilson has a quick bat and is as good a second baseman as any in the country."
Smith was also named preseason All-American earlier this preseason by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Collegiate Baseball and PING. A two-time All-SEC Defensive selection, Smith is a .284 (155-for-546) career hitter with 32 home runs and 117 RBI during his three-year career. He hit .359 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI last year as a junior.
Wilson was a first-team preseason All-American by Baseball American after hitting .321 (152-for-473) during his two-year career with 24 home runs and 94 RBI. He was also named first-team preseason All-American by PING Baseball and was a second-team preseason All-American selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Rutledge is a two-time All-SEC selection and has compiled a .339 (172-for-507) average with five home runs and 75 RBI in his two-year career. He was a freshman All-American in 2008 and was first-team All-SEC selection last year.
Dugas was a freshman All-American and All-SEC pick last year after hitting .352 (83-for-236) with two home runs and 27 RBI. He led the Crimson Tide with 83 hits and also posted 20 doubles.
Morgan was 4-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 13 appearances last season as a true freshman. He had nine starts and one complete game and was the winning pitcher in his first career start against No. 1 ranked Georgia on March 14, 2009.
The Crimson Tide baseball team will scrimmage Saturday, February 13 at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 14 at 2:30 p.m. at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The 2010 season opener is set for Saturday, February 20, when the Crimson Tide hosts South Alabama at 2:05 p.m. at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Season tickets are available through the Alabama Athletic Ticket Office by calling 205.348.2262 or 1.877.TIDETIX.
