Leeds Earns Collegiate Baseball Preseason Honor
CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston junior third baseman Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) was selected to the Louisville Slugger 2011 Pre-Season All-American team, it was announced today by Collegiate Baseball. Leeds was named to the third team.
"I am very honored to receive this award," said Leeds, who earned Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year honors last season and was on the Coaches and Media All-Conference teams. "There are so many guys on our team deserving of this pre-season award. I give credit to our program in the past that put us on the map with their success and enabled me to be recognized."
The 2010 ABCA All-American led the Cougars in slugging percentage (.690), RBI (88) and was fifth in batting average (.326) and third in hits (79). His 21 home runs led the team and the Southern Conference and put him 35th in the country, while his 88 RBI ranked him first in the league and second nationally.
The Cougars open the 2011 season against Kentucky Feb. 18 as part of the CofC Invitational. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. For season ticket and single-game ticket information visit www.CofCSports.com or call the ticket office at 843.953.CofC (2632).
Louisville Slugger Names Rutledge Preseason All-American
Rutledge tied a Samford record with 11 saves in 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford sophomore pitcher Lex Rutledge was named third-team Louisville Slugger preseason All-American on Friday.
This marks the second preseason All-America team Rutledge has been named to so far in the preseason. Earlier this week, Rutledge was named third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
As a freshman in 2010, Rutledge tied a Samford record with 11 saves. He also posted a record of 5-1 and an impressive 1.71 ERA in 47.1 innings of work. Rutledge, a native of Tupelo, Miss., led the team in strikeouts with 65 on the season.
Rutledge had an impressive summer as well. He spent the first part of the summer playing for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League, and then he went on to participate in the trials for the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
Rutledge was one of just two Southern Conference players on the All-America teams, and he was the only player from the state of Alabama on the team. College of Charleston third baseman Matt Leeds joins Rutledge on the third team.
Rutledge and the Bulldogs open the 2011 season on Feb. 18 when they play host to Western Illinois in the first game of a three-game series at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The first pitch for the season-opener is scheduled for 6 p.m.