MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mercer’s Kyle Lewis, Samford’s Austin Edens and Heath Quinn and Western Carolina’s Bryson Bowman were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s All-America teams on Wednesday afternoon.
Lewis earned a spot on the first team, while Edens and Quinn were second-teamers and Bowman was a third-team pick.
It’s the third All-America first-team nod Mercer’s Lewis – the No. 11 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners in last week’s 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft – has earned following his stellar junior campaign for the Bears. The outfielder additionally been named to Baseball America’s and Louisville Slugger’s All-America first teams.
The 2016 Baseball America Player of the Year established himself as one of college baseball’s premier position players this spring, leading the nation’s second-best power-hitting team with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs, which ranked sixth and fifth nationally.
He ranked fourth nationally with a program-record 66 walks while ranking top-15 nationally in batting average (.395) and top-five nationally in on-base percentage (.535) and runs (70). He compiled a 48-game on-base streak and 27 multi-hit performances this season, as well.
He also helped the Bears to a 38-23 record – Mercer’s seventh straight season with 35 wins or more – and a second straight SoCon regular season championship.
The Snellville, Georgia, native was recognized with numerous other accolades this past spring, including being named the Southern Conference Player of the Year for a second straight season and being recognized as a semifinalist for the NCBWA’s Dick Howser Trophy.
Samford’s Edens finished the 2016 campaign ranked eighth in the nation with 19 home runs. The Bulldogs’ sophomore designated hitter was also named a first-team All-Southern Conference performer by both the coaches and the media. Edens closed out the year with a .311 batting average, 59 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 144 total bases.
Last season, Samford’s Edens was named a second-team freshman All-American by the NCBWA. In two years, the Bulldogs’ native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has already compiled 35 home runs and a 113 RBIs.
Samford’s Quinn capped off his magical junior campaign last week as he was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 18th pick in the third round (95th overall) of the MLB Draft.
With the honor, Quinn became the second0highest draft pick in Samford’s 112-year history. In 2013, former Bulldog great Philip Ervin was selected 27th overall in the first round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Samford, the winningest Division I program in the state of Alabama since 2011, has now had 19 players taken in the MLB Draft over the last six years. Prior to this season, four Bulldogs were drafted in 2011, seven Samford players were taken in 2012, a pair was drafted in 2013 and two were taken in 2014.
Quinn, who garnered first-team All-SoCon honors in the outfield this year, finished 2016 with a .343 batting average, 21 home runs and a school-record 77 RBIs. He was also a member of the SoCon All-Tournament Team.
In his illustrious three-year career at Samford, Quinn compiled 44 home runs, 48 doubles, 168 runs, 181 RBIs and a stellar .334 batting average.
According to available research, Bowman is just the fourth Catamount to grace the NCBWA's post-season squad all-time (since 1993). He joins Jason Beverlin (1992-94), who earned second-team honors in 1994; Ross Heffley (2009-12), who picked up first-team honors in 2011; and Tyler White (2010-13), who was a third-team honoree as a senior in 2013.
Bowman adds the third-team All-America honor to a lengthy postseason ledger that included being named second-team All-Atlantic Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). He was also a second-team All-Southern Conference selection from both the league’s head coaches and voting media.
A product of Baton, North Carolina, Bowman transferred to WCU from Catawba Valley Community College prior to the 2015 season, seeing his first action for the Catamounts this season. He ranked third on the team with a .326 seasonal batting average with 35 of his 74 hits going for extra bases, including 13 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs. Bowman finished second on the team with 60 RBIs, including 21 with two outs, third on the Catamount squad.
Bowman was a 33rd-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Previous NCBWA All-America teams from 1996-2015 have featured the likes of pitcher Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State, outfielder J.D. Drew of Florida State, first baseman Mark Teixeira of Georgia Tech, pitcher Mark Prior of Southern California, infielder Rickie Weeks of Southern, third baseman Alex Gordon of Nebraska, pitcher David Price of Vanderbilt, catcher Buster Posey of Florida State and third baseman Kris Bryant of San Diego.