CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina senior infielders Jacob Hoyle and Bradley Strong were both named to the 2015 Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America second team as chosen and released by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. It is the second straight season Hoyle has graced the publication’s preseason honors, while Strong is honored in the preseason for the first time.
Strong and Hoyle were the only representatives from the Southern Conference on the three-team, 81-member preseason All-America teams. The two were recently among four elected as team captains for the 2015 Catamounts. It is also the second straight season that WCU has had two preseason All-America selections.
Hoyle, who was a freshman All-America selection back in 2012, is coming off a 2014 season in which he hit a career-best .332, including a SoCon-leading 14 home runs. He hit two home runs in the same game three times a year ago. The left-handed slugger was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection while also earning American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Atlantic Region and all-state honors from the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA). In addition to garnering 2013-14 SoCon Honor Roll and Spring Academic All-SoCon honors, Hoyle was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 3 team from CoSIDA.
This past summer, Hoyle was a California Collegiate League All-Star playing for the San Luis Obispo Blues, for whom he batted .333 with 46 hits in 138 at bats. He collected 16 doubles, three triples and four home runs with 38 RBIs and 20 runs scored on the West Coast.
Hoyle, a Hickory, N.C., product who was a third-team preseason All-America pick a year ago, is a career .317 hitter with 29 career home runs and 150 career RBIs. His 17 career sacrifice flies are tied for the WCU school record, while his 29 homers ranks him tied for 19th in the school's all-time ledger entering his final season on the diamond.
Strong earned third-team Louisville Slugger All-America honors at second base following his performance in the 2014 season, which included a .339 batting average, six triples, six home runs and 53 RBIs – all career single-season highs. He also paced the SoCon with runs scored, crossing the plate 58 times. Strong was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection while also collecting second-team ABCA All-Atlantic Region plaudits. Like Hoyle, Strong was recognized for his performance in the classroom with a spot on the 2013-14 SoCon Honor Roll.
The Richlands, Va., product enters his final season with 45 career stolen bases, including a 20-for-25 showing a season ago. Strong was a perfect 15-for-15 in thefts for the St. Cloud (Minn.) Rox of the Northwoods League this past summer. He also enters his final season just 13 career triples, just two triples shy of matching WCU’s all-time leader, Martin Barrow (15, 1995-98). In the field, Strong is a career .957 fielder, opening his career at third base before settling into second base the past two years.
The Catamounts open their second straight SoCon regular-season title defense Feb. 13-15 at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The complete schedule will be released in the coming days.