SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Former Southern Conference outfielders Kyle Lewis of Mercer and Heath Quinn of Samford were named to Perfect Game’s All-America teams Monday, with Lewis earning first-team honors and Quinn second-team recognition. ETSU's Trey York earned honorable mention.
Perfect Game's selection of Lewis marks the sixth All-America team he's been named to this season, including other placements by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, D1Baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings.
Lewis – the No. 11 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft on June 9 – finished his collegiate career with a stellar junior campaign and established himself as one of college baseball's premier position players by leading the nation's second-best power-hitting team with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs, which ranked sixth and fifth nationally.
The Snellville, Ga., native 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.
Lewis has hauled in numerous other accolades from this past spring, including two National Player of the Year honors by Baseball America and the ABCA/Rawlings. He is also the first player in program history and third in Southern Conference history to be named the SoCon Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.
Quinn, one of the most decorated players in Samford history, has also received All-America honors this season from the ABCA/Rawlings, the NCBWA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger and D1Baseball.com. He was also named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given annually to the best amateur player in the nation.
Recently, Quinn capped off his junior campaign by being 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 second highest 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-Southern Conference honors 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 All-SoCon Tournament Team.
In his three-year career at Samford, Quinn compiled 44 home runs, 48 doubles, 168 runs, 181 RBIs and a stellar .334 batting average.
York’s honorable mention marks the third All-American honor this postseason for the Buccaneer second baseman, who was drafted in the ninth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. York was also tabbed first-team ABCA/Rawlings All-America and first-team Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger All-America. To go with the All-American honors, York was also named first-team All-Southern Conference and first-team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region.
York hit .348 (81-for-233) with 23 doubles, one triple, 15 homers, 60 runs scored and 62 RBIs, while starting all 57 games for the Bucs this season. York also stole 17 bases and led the team with a .431 on-base percentage. The Buccaneer senior infielder led ETSU with 18 multi-RBI games, which included a career-high seven-RBI performance in a win at Eastern Kentucky in April. York also reached base safely in 23 straight games and posted a 10-game hit streak from April 26 thru May 13.
York is currently playing in the Arizona League Brewers, which are the Rookie affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.