June 20, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Arizona State baseball players Dustin Pedroia, Jeff Larish and Jeremy West each earned another All-America honor when the ffinal two teams were announced this week. The sophomore combination of Larish and Pedroia each earned second-team honors from Baseball America. Pedroia and junior designated hitter Jeremy West were first-team selections by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), with Larish earning third-team honors.
Pedroia (Woodland, Calif.) also earned first-team honors from Collegiate Baseball, USA Today/ESPN, CollegeBaseballInsider.com and was named the NCBWA District IX Player of the Year and first-team All-American. He became only the 16th Sun Devil to hit over .400 in a season (.404) and ranks fourth in ASU history with his 120 hits. He broke the ASU and Pac-10 single-season record with 34 doubles and recorded four separate hitting streaks of 10 or more games. He is one of three Sun Devils (Larish and Travis Buck) who will participate in the USA Baseball National Team Trials this weekend in Tucson, Ariz.
Larish (Tempe, Ariz.), a second-team pick by Baseball America and third-team selection by the ABCA, also earned All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball (2nd team), CBI (2nd team) and NCBWA (3rd team). The sophomore first baseman led the Pac-10 with 95 RBI, marking the fourth most in ASU single-season history. He finished fourth on the team hitting .372 (87-for-234) with 18 doubles, 80 runs scored and 18 home runs. His 78 walks are second most in ASU history, becoming only the second player to join the 70-70 (RBI-BB) club in a season. He also tied the single-game record with four doubles (Arizona; 5/25) and nine RBI (SDSU; 1/26) and broke the season record with four grand slams.
West (Las Vegas, Nev.) was a first-team selection by the ABCA and also earned honorable mention honors by CBI. The junior designated hitter was one of the nation's hottest hitters to end the season, capping his career with a 24-game hitting streak. West hit .381 (77-for-202) with 10 doubles, 17 home runs and 71 RBI. During his 24-game hitting streak, West recorded 46 hits, 38 of his 71 RBI and eight home runs. During the 2003 season he tied the ASU single-game records with three home runs and nine RBI vs. Washington State (4/27). The seventh-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox ended his ASU career 10th in RBI (176), fifth in slugging percentage (.647) and eighth in home runs (36). Through his first three professional games with the Lowell Spinners (short-season A), West is hitting .308 (4-for-13) with three doubles and four RBI.
2003 College Baseball All-American Teams
NCBWA:
Release
Dustin Pedroia (1st) -- District IX Player of the Year
Steve Garrabrants (2nd)
Jeff Larish (3rd)
Jered Liebeck (3rd)
Collegiate Baseball:
Release
Release
Dustin Pedroia (1st)
Jeff Larish (2nd)
Travis Buck (1st freshman)
Erik Averill (1st freshman)
Sports Weekly/ESPN:
Release
Dustin Pedroia (1st)
Baseball America:
Release
Release
Dustin Pedroia (2nd)
Jeff Larish (2nd)
Erik Averill (2nd - freshman)
Travis Buck (2nd - freshman)
ABCA:
Release
Dustin Pedroia (1st)
Jeremy West (1st)
Jeff Larish (3rd)
CollegeBaseballInsider.com:
Release
Dustin Pedroia (1st)
Jeff Larish (2nd)
Jeremy West (HM)
Andre Ethier (HM)