May 31, 2012
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Louisville Slugger All-Americans - official release
TEMPE, Ariz. - Three Arizona State University student-athletes were named Louisville Slugger All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, the publication announced Thursday. Starting pitchers Brady Rodgers and Trevor Williams each garnered a Second Team selection, and first baseman Abe Ruiz earned Third Team honors.
Fifty-two schools are represented on the All-American teams, including five from the Pac-12. ASU and Arizona are tied for the most selections in the conference with three, followed by Oregon with two and one each from Cal, Stanford and UCLA.
Arizona State is one of only six schools in Division I to place at least three players on the All-American teams. Florida State and Baylor each have four, and Texas A&M, Stony Brook, Arizona and ASU have three.
Rodgers and Williams were both named to the All-Pac-12 First Team this season, as well as the College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Watch List. Ruiz received 2012 all-conference honorable mention recognition, and all three players received a Pac-12 Weekly Award this year.
Rodgers, who walked just 36 batters in three seasons at ASU, and Williams, who authored a streak of 40 1/3 consecutive innings without issuing a walk this year, headlined a Sun Devil pitching staff that finished in the top 10 in both walks allowed per nine innings and WHIP.
Rodgers, a junior and native of Richmond, Texas, finished the year with a 10-3 record and a 2.27 ERA, and led the team in innings pitched with 115 and strikeouts with 79. He had three complete games this season and began the year with 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which is sixth best in school history.
He has a career ERA of 2.39 in 286 total innings, which puts him second on the school's career "Best Earned Run Average" list, behind Floyd Bannister (74-76), who had a 1.88 ERA in 396.2 innings pitched.
Williams, who is a sophomore from San Diego, Calif., tied for first in Div. I with 12 victories this season and was the Pac-12 Conference's only 12-game winner. He finished the season with a 2.05 ERA in 109.2 innings pitched, and struck out 59 while walking 13. Williams recorded two complete game shutouts this season, including a 4-0 win over USC and a 2-0 win against Washington State.
Ruiz, a senior who hails from Pacific Grove, Calif., tied for the Pac-12 lead in home runs with 13 and finished second in the conference in slugging percentage at .595. He appeared in all 56 games for the Sun Devils, hitting .305 with a team-high 53 RBI on 61 hits, including a team-best 19 doubles.
Rodgers was named a Second Team Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper prior to the 2012 season, and both Williams and him earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors, with Williams in 2011 and Rodgers in 2010.