Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-Americans

by • Featured

TUCSON, Ariz. — The 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American team features a wealth of baseball talent.

The squad is headed by four exceptional athletes who are Collegiate Baseball’s National Freshmen Players or Pitchers of The Year, including:

1B Spencer Torkelson, Arizona St.
CB’s Co-Freshman Player of The Year
Torkelson led all NCAA Division I hitters with 25 home runs during the regular season – two more than any other player and just one shy of the NCAA freshman record.

Torkelson, Freshman of The Year in the Pac-12 and a first team All-League pick, is just the sixth player to reach 25 home runs since the BBCOR batting technology changes took effect in 2011 and the only freshman in NCAA Division I to reach the milestone in that time.

He obliterated the previous Sun Devil freshman record of 11 home runs set by Barry Bonds in 1983.

Torkelson finished tied with Bob Horner (1978) for second in ASU single-season history, just two shy of Mitch Jones’ school record 27 in 2000.

Torkelson slugged .743 on the season (25 homers, 12 doubles), the third-highest total for any freshman in NCAA Division I in the past two decades and the highest for a freshman in the BBCOR era (since 2011).

Only Rickie Weeks (.849 in 2001) and Jeremy Baltz (.771, 2010) have posted higher freshman slugging percentages in the past 20 years.

OF Ryan Ward, Bryant
CB’s Co-Freshman Player of The Year
Ward put up monster numbers in his redshirt freshman campaign as he was named Player of The Year in the Northeast Conference and was a first team All-League pick and Rookie of The Year.

He not only hit .409 but belted 22 doubles, 5 triples and 8 homers along with 52 RBI in 247 at-bats.

Ward scored 51 runs and collected 101 hits as he only struck out 10 times all season.

RHP Patrick Fredrickson, Minnesota
CB’s Freshman Pitcher of The Year
Fredrickson was the Pitcher of The Year in the Big Ten Conference, Freshman of The Year and was a first team All-League selection.

He posted a perfect 9-0 record, 1.76 ERA and struck out 70 batters with 24 walks over 92 innings.

Closer Max Meyer, Minnesota
CB’s Freshman Relief Pitcher of The Year
Meyer was a first team Big Ten Conference selection and a member of the All-Freshmen team in the league.

He posted 16 saves with a microscopic 1.34 ERA and 2-2 record as he struck out 49 batters with 11 walks over 40 1/3 innings.

To read the entire list of 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-Americans, CLICK HERE.