Another First-Team All-America Honor for Kassouf
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Appalachian State University's Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) received another first-team all-America honor on Wednesday when the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) bestowed Appalachian's senior designated hitter with the recognition.
Kassouf, just Appalachian State's second first-team all-American since the Mountaineers joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 1972, was also tabbed as a first-team honoree by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association last week. He joins Randy Ingle (1979) as Appalachian's only first-team all-Americans since it joined to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1972. Overall, he is the 15th all-American in program history and the 10th in the school's NCAA era.
Kassouf was one of the nation's top power hitters in 2012, ranking 10th nationally with a school-record 17 home runs, 11th with a Southern Conference-leading 66 RBI and 16th with 148 total bases. He also finished with a gaudy .339 batting average and made a serious run at the SoCon triple crown, leading the league in all three triple-crown categories (batting average, home runs and RBI) as late as April 21. Spread out over the course of a 162-game Major League Baseball season, Kassouf's power numbers would translate to 47 home runs and 181 RBI.
The all-America recognition highlights a long list of postseason accolades for the 6-1, 230-pound senior. Earlier this month, Kassouf became the first SoCon Player ever selected by the NCBWA as its District IV Player of the Year, honoring the best player in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. He was also one of 35 semifinalists for the NCBWA's Dick Howser Trophy (National Player of the Year), one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award (USA Baseball's top amateur player) and a first-team all-conference honoree by the SoCon's coaches and media.
The ABCA also announced its all-region teams on Wednesday with four Mountaineers receiving all-Atlantic Region recognition. Kassouf was a first-team honoree while starting pitcher Ryan Arrowood (Rutherfordton, N.C./R-S Central), shortstop Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) and outfielder Tyler Tewell (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) earned second-team plaudits.
The 2012 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year, Arrowood went 11-0 with a 3.81 ERA in 2012 and was one of only two pitchers nationally with at least nine wins and no losses this season (joining NC State's Carlos Rodon, who was 9-0). Arrowood went 28-8 during his collegiate career, setting school records for career victories and strikeouts (252) and also set a new single-season program record with 93 strikeouts in 2012. He was selected in the 28th round of this month's Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies and is currently a member of the class-A Tri-City Dust Devils.
Callaway was one of 25 semifinalists for the 2012 Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation's top shortstop, and a unanimous first-team all-Southern Conference selection by the league's coaches and media. He hit .320 with 12 doubles and four home runs as a junior and ranked among the national leaders with 53 RBI (65th), 54 runs (87th), 23 stolen bases (51st) and six sacrifice flies (55th). He will be back as a senior in 2013 to help the Mountaineers try to defend their Southern Conference championship and make back-to-back NCAA postseason appearances for the first time in school history.
Tewell made the most of his only season as a full-time collegiate starter in 2012, finishing third in the SoCon with a .357 batting average to go along with 79 hits, 17 doubles and four triples (all team highs), six home runs and 45 RBI. He just missed being one of the nation's top-100 hitters in 2012, finishing 101st in batting, and also ranked among the NCAA Division I leaders in slugging percentage (.552 - 111th) and doubles (17 - 122nd). He was picked by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round of the 2012 MLB Draft and is currently a member of the rookie-level Danville Braves.
The four all-region selections match the 34-year-old school record set originally when Ingle, Ron Brower, Joey Moffitt and Chris Plemmons earned the recognition in 1978.
Gantt Named ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American, Joins Christian Powell On ABCA All-Atlantic Teams
CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston's Marty Gantt was named an ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American, while joining CofC's Christian Powell on the ABCA All-Atlantic Region teams.
A native of North Augusta, S.C., was tabbed for the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team after winning the SoCon Player of the Year Award and garnering a spot as a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American. In 2012, Gantt led the team with a .373 average with 11 home runs, 46 RBI and 29 stolen bases. Gantt led the league and finished ninth in the country with 68 runs scored.
Appalachian State's Daniel Kassouf (First) and Samford's Brandon Miller (Third) were the only other SoCon representatives of the three All-America teams, while South Carolina's Christian Walker (Second) and Clemson's Richie Shaffer (Third) were the only other players from state teams.
Starting pitcher Christian Powell, the SoCon Pitcher of the Year, joined Gantt with a spot on the ABCA All-Atlantic Region teams. Gantt was tabbed for the first team, while Powell was named to the second team.
Powell finished the season with a league-best ERA of 2.69, boasting a 9-4 record with 77 strikeouts.
Gantt was drafted in the seventh round of the MLB Entry Draft by the Rays, while Powell was drafted in the eighth round by the Twins.
SAMFORD'S BRANDON MILLER NAMED ABCA ALL-AMERICAN
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-Samford senior right fielder Brandon Miller was named third-team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Thursday.
Miller, who is Samford's career leader in home runs with 39 in two seasons, led the nation this season with 23 homers. He also finished second in the SoCon in RBI with a Samford-record 65, and he led the league in total bases with 160 and in slugging percentage at .650.
Miller finished his senior season with a .301 batting average. To go along with his 23 home runs, Miller hit 17 doubles this season, the second-highest total on the team.
At the conclusion of the season, Miller became the highest drafted player in Samford history when he was taken in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Washington Nationals on June 5.
This marks the third All-America team Miller has been named to, after making the second team of Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger All-America team and of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association All-America team.
Samford had the best season in program history in 2012. The Bulldogs won a school-record 41 games, and they won the program's first-ever Southern Conference championship and earned the team's first NCAA Tournament bid.
Ross Heffley Named ABCA All-Atlantic Region
Heffley expected to join Class-A Rome Braves on Thursday
Cullowhee, N.C. - Former Western Carolina second baseman Ross Heffley was today named second team All-Atlantic Region as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and released today.
Heffley was one of seven Southern Conference players named to the first and second All-Atlantic Region squads. He is the 29th selection for WCU all-time, and the first since Kenny Smith garnered second team plaudits in 2007. WCU has had 36 All-Atlantic selections dating back to 1977 including 15 first team honors.
The ABCA All-Atlantic Region honor punctuates his four-year career which saw the infielder twice earn All-America honors. This season, Heffley batted .346 with a team-leading 80 hits, becoming the Catamounts' all-time career hits leader with 354 - a mark which ranks fourth in Southern Conference history. He was named first team All-SoCon by both the league's head coaches and voting media, and was also tabbed All-State by the NCCSIA.
Heffley concluded his WCU career ranked atop not only the career hits chart, but also in career at bats (933) and on-base percentage (.452). He additionally was third in the WCU ledgers with a .379 career batting average, third in total bases with 532, tied for third with 222 career RBI and was 11th with 35 home runs.
Heffley Expected to Make Professional Debut Thursday in Asheville
Former WCU standout Ross Heffley is expected to leave workouts in Orlando, Fla., to report to Atlanta's Class A affiliate, the Rome Braves, on the road to make his professional debut this week. The Snellville, Ga., native is expected to debut in familiar surroundings as the Braves visit the Asheville Tourists at historic McCormick Field. The four-game series gets underway Thursday (June 21) at 7:05 pm.
Heffley was selected in the 18th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by Atlanta, the sixth former Catamount taken by the franchise all-time.