Rutledge, Dugas Named First Team All-SEC
5/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2010
HOOVER, Ala. - Alabama junior shortstop Josh Rutledge made history Tuesday as he joined David Magadan, the 1983 Golden Spikes Award winner, as the only two players in school history to earn All-SEC honors for three consecutive years.
Rutledge was a first-team All-SEC selection for the second consecutive year after earning freshman All-SEC honors in 2008. Magadan earned first-team All-SEC honors in three straight years from 1981-83.
"I think Rutledge is the top shortstop in the league," Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard said. "He had a tremendous year and throughout his career he has been so consistent over the last three years. He is very deserving of the award."
The Cullman, Ala., native is one of only three shortstops and 13 total players in Crimson Tide history to earn first-team All-SEC honors in consecutive years. The list of shortstops includes Jack Kubiszyn (1956-57) and Andy Phillips (1998-99), both of which played Major League baseball. The remaining players are pitcher Gene Lary (1954-55), third baseman Herb Kosten (1955-56), pitcher Frank Roland (1956-57), outfielder Ken Chapman (1959-60), catcher Buddy French (1964-65), pitcher Mike Innes (1968-69), Magadan (1981-83), catcher Doug Duke (1985-86), catcher Jeremy Brown (2001-02) and outfielder Emeel Salem (2006-07).
Rutledge is joined on this year's All-SEC team by sophomore center fielder Taylor Dugas, who was Freshman All-SEC selection in 2009. Senior third baseman Jake Smith was named to the SEC All-Defensive team for the third straight year and freshman right fielder Andrew Miller was named to the Freshman All-SEC squad.
"Taylor Dugas in his second year is near the top of the league in hits and played a tremendous center field," Gaspard said. "He is one of the top leadoff hitters in the country. He is very deserving as well. Jake Smith, for the third year in a row, is the all defensive team third baseman and is one of the best defensive third basemen in the country. Andrew Miller, who I thought got better throughout the course of the year, was named freshman All-SEC and I was happy to see that for him. All four guys were very deserving at their positions and all had good years in their own way."
In 55 games, Rutledge hit .361 (89-for-245) with 51 runs scored, eight home runs and 59 RBI. He led the team in hits (89), RBI (59) and multi-hit games (30). He is seeking to become the first UA shortstop since 1978 (Steve Houlberg) to lead the Tide in RBI in a season. In 30 SEC games, he hit .353 (49-for-139) with five home runs and 33 RBI. He hit safely in 29 of 30 SEC games and closed the season with a 21-game hitting streak in league play. He is currently seventh all-time at Alabama with 261 career hits and is the only player in UA history to record two 20-game hitting streaks in his career. He enters the SEC Tournament with a 13-game hitting streak and has recorded 23 RBI in his last 14 SEC games.
"This is a great honor and I am happy for Taylor, Jake and Andrew and their All-SEC recognition," Rutledge said. "It is definitely a great accomplishment for me personally and something that I have worked hard for. I am happy that my name can be mentioned with great players like David Magadan and Andy Phillips. It is a great honor."
Dugas leads the SEC with a .545 on-base percentage and 53 walks this season. In 55 games, he is hitting a team-best .404 (78-for-193) with 56 runs scored, 13 doubles and 15 stolen bases. He has reached base safely 54 of 55 games this season and has reached base in 44 straight games dating back to March 13. He is also the Tide's leading hitter in SEC play with a .407 (44-for-108) average with one home run and 16 RBI. He led the Tide in hitting in seven of 14 weekend series, including South Alabama (.625), College of Charleston (.500), Stony Brook (.500), Auburn (.700), LSU (.467), Mississippi State (.500) and South Carolina (.500).
Smith is the only three-time SEC All-Defensive Team selection since the inception of the award in 2007. As the starting third baseman, he compiled a .957 fielding percentage and has committed only six errors in 139 chances this season. In his three-year career, Smith has compiled a .941 fielding mark and has committed 32 errors in 2004 games. In the last two seasons, Smith has committed only 11 errors (.957 fielding mark) in 255 chances at third base.
Miller is hitting .273 (36-for-132) with 25 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one home run and 18 RBI this season. He hit .263 (20-for-76) in 24 SEC games (19 starts) with one home run and nine RBI. In his last seven SEC games, the Citronelle native has hit .421 (8-for-19) with two RBI and nine runs scored.
