May 30, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. -- A pair of Arizona State were named to various All-American teams today as the Sun Devils are set to begin the Road to Omaha with tonight's NCAA regional game against Central Connecticut State.
Collegiate Baseball and USA Today Sports Weekly named sophomore shortstop Dustin Pedroia a first-team All-American. Collegiate Baseball named sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish a second-team All-American. Southern second baseman Rickie Weeks, a teammate of Pedroia's on the 2002 USA Baseball National Team, was named the Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year.
Pedroia (Woodland, Calif.) added to his postseason honors after being named the Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year earlier in the week. The sophomore shortstop hit .418 (112-for-268) during the 2003 regular season with a Pac-10 and ASU single-season record 32 doubles. He also recorded 38 multi-hit games and had four hitting streak of 10 or more games. Pedroia was also named the On Deck Circle team MVP at the annual regular season awards banquet on Tuesday.
Larish was named second-team All-American after hitting .377 (80-for-212) with 16 home runs and a Pac-10 best 86 RBI. The First-Team All-Pac-10 selection became only the second Sun Devil to join the 70-70 (RBI-BB) club with 86 RBI and 72 walks. He joins Alvin Davis (1982) as the only other Sun Devil to record over 70 walks and 70 RBI in a single season. Larish spent much of the 2003 season rewriting the ASU record books, setting an ASU single-season record with four grand slams, and tied single-game record with nine RBI (SDSU, 1/26/03) and four doubles (ARIZ, 5/25/03).
The Sun Devils (50-12) open the 2003 NCAA Tournament tonight at 7 p.m. against Central Connecticut State at Tempe Diablo Stadium.