DALLAS – Four Southern Conference student-athletes earned preseason All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, the organization announced Tuesday. Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis and Samford designated hitter Austin Edens were first-team selections, while Samford outfielder Heath Quinn was a second-team pick and Bulldog third baseman Hunter Swilling was a third-team selection.
Samford was one of only three programs in the nation to boast three players recognized. Louisville led the nation with four players listed among the three preseason All-America teams, while Samford and Florida both finished with three apiece.
Edens and Quinn both earned their second preseason All-American honors Tuesday. Edens, a sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was named a third-team preseason All-American by Perfect Game on Jan. 11.
In 2015, Edens accumulated 16 home runs, 54 RBIs, 76 hits, 48 runs scored and a .662 slugging percentage.
On Dec. 22, Samford’s Quinn earned second-team preseason All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball. Quinn, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and star prospect from Oak Mountain High School, concluded his brilliant sophomore campaign with a .340 batting average, 56 RBIs and 14 home runs. He also led the team with 81 hits and added 57 runs scored.
In 2015, Quinn garnered first-team All-Southern Conference honors and anchored the Bulldogs’ powerful offensive lineup from the 3-hole. One of the most decorated players in the SoCon, Quinn also received first-team preseason all-league honors heading into his sophomore campaign.
Swilling, Samford’s talented third baseman from Columbus, Georgia, garnered his first preseason All-America honor of the year Tuesday.
Last season, as a sophomore, Swilling finished tied for the team’s lead with 16 home runs. He also drove in a team-high 56 runs and led the team with 63 runs scored. Swilling started in all 58 games in 2015 and registered a .324 batting average.
The Samford University baseball team will begin play in its 2016 campaign on Feb. 19, as the Bulldogs begin a nine-game, season-opening homestand against the Butler Bulldogs at 4 p.m. (CST) at The Griff (Joe Lee Griffin Field).
Samford will open the year with consecutive four-game home series against Butler and BYU before playing host to crosstown rival UAB on March 1.
Mercer’s Lewis has also picked up preseason All-America honors from D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game and Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball.
Lewis had a breakout season in 2015, filling his mantle with a host of national and league honors. The center fielder became the first player in program history to take home the prestigious Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award and garnered second-team All-America recognition from multiple publications to go along with his SoCon Player of the Year accolades. He carried that momentum to the summer, participating in the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby on ESPN and earning a bid to the Cape Cod League All-Star Game.
The Snellville, Ga., product fell just shy of the SoCon triple crown last season, topping the conference in batting average (.367) and home runs (17) while finishing fifth in RBIs (56) on his way to the league's Player of the Year honors. He also led the SoCon in slugging percentage and total bases in 2015 and posted 28 multiple-hit performances and 15 multiple-RBI efforts.
Mercer opens its 2016 season in less than a month, as the Bears kick off the new campaign with a three-game series against 2015 NCAA Regional participant Radford at Claude Smith Field on Feb. 19-21.