TUCSON, Ariz. – Two Southern Conference players earned Louisville Slugger All-America honors, as announced Thursday by Collegiate Baseball. The SoCon Player of the Year, Elon outfielder Casey Jones, and Western Carolina second baseman Bradley Strong earned the distinction.
Jones earned a spot on the second team, while Strong was named to the third team.
Jones, who was also a first-team all-league honoree, is the third Phoenix player to ever claim Louisville Slugger All-America honors, joining third-team selections Steven Hensley (2008) and Ryan Kinsella (2013).
During his junior season, Jones was one of the premier hitters in college baseball, as he led the SoCon and ranked among the best in the nation with a .418 batting average. He became just the third Elon player to finish with a batting average of .400 or better during the program's NCAA Division I tenure. His .418 average was the highest by an Elon player since Jeff Kipila batted .438 in 1988.
Jones won Elon's triple crown by also pacing the Phoenix with seven homers and 53 RBIs. He also led the league with a .668 slugging percentage, .502 on-base percentage, 82 hits, 20 doubles and 131 total bases.
Over the course of the season, Jones put together a 26-game hitting streak, a program-best at the Division I level. In fact, the Midlothian, Va., resident recorded at least one hit in 47 of the team's 53 games. He also reached base safely (walk, hit or hit-by-pitch) in 51 of the 53 outings.
Strong, also a first-team All-SoCon pick, is the fourth Catamount to garner post-season All-America accolades under head coach Bobby Moranda. Last season, Tyler White was selected to the third team as a third baseman. Jacob Hoyle was a freshman All-America selection, with Ross Heffley earning the same honor in 2009 before capturing first-team All-America honors in 2011. All told, Strong is just the 14th different Catamount to garner one of the 19 different All-America honors from various publications.
A three-year starter from Richlands, Va., Strong finished the 2014 season with a team-high .339 batting average, recording 81 base hits to rank second in the SoCon. Among his team-best 81 hits were a career-high 20 doubles – a mark which ranked him tied for 11th with seven others in the program’s single-season record book. He closed the season riding a career-long 14-game hitting streak. Strong legged out six seasonal triples to not only tie him with two others for second in the single-season ledger, but also move into a tie for the runner-up position with Danny Jones (1964-67) in the career record book with 13. Strong is just two triples shy of all-time record holder Martin Barrow (15, 1995-98).
Strong paced the SoCon with 58 runs scored and concluded the year second on the squad with 53 RBIs, including a team-high 25 two-out runs driven in. The speedy infielder stole a career-high 20 bases in 25 attempts, giving him 45 thefts in his WCU career – 13th in the school record book.
During the 2014 season, Strong was one of two Catamounts to hit for the cycle in the March 2 win over La Salle, finishing 5-for-6 at the plate, with the five base hits and five RBIs marking a career high. He earned SoCon Player of the Week plaudits on April 21 after batting .389 (7-for-18) with five doubles, four runs scored with three RBIs.
Strong is slated to return to the St. Cloud (Minn.) Rox of the Northwoods League this summer, where he finished the 2013 summer season. He finished last summer with a .309 (25-for-81) batting average to rank third on the team, tallying two doubles and a triple with nine runs driven in and seven stolen bases.