June 20, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State senior outfielder Mitch Jones was named a First Team All-American on Tuesday by Baseball America, while Sun Devil junior catcher Casey Myers was a Second Team honoree by the publication.
Jones can also boast First Team All-America status from Collegiate Baseball and a spot on the All-Pac-10 Conference First Team. In addition, the Orem, Utah native was a semifinalist for the Rotary Smith Award and Dick Howser Trophy, honoring the nation's top collegiate player. He led ASU with 27 home runs, breaking Bob Horner's 22-year-old school record (25 in 1978) and finishing the regular season as the NCAA leader. He ranked second on the team with 92 RBI and was amongst the top-10 nationally in RBI per game. On June 5 Jones was a seventh round draft choice of the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees.
Myers helped lead ASU to its first conference title since 1993 with a team-leading .412 batting average, along with 18 home runs and 97 RBI. The Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, he also earned first team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association second team status from both Collegiate Baseball and USA Today/Baseball Weekly. In addition, Myers, who carries a 4.0 GPA in Mathematics, was named the GTE Academic All-American of the Year for baseball and is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench National Catcher of the Year Award, to be presented Tuesday night in Wichita, Kan. On June 6 the Casa Grande, Ariz., native was a 30th-round draft choice of the Milwaukee Brewers.