DALLAS (NCBWA) Mount Olive College pitcher Carter Capps, Cameron University outfielder Chase Larsson and University of West Florida head coach Mike Jeffcoat headlined the list of players who received National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II All-America honors.
Capps, a sophomore right-hander from Kinston, N.C., was selected as the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-America performer after compiling a perfect 14-0 record and 1.37 earned run average, striking out 124 and walking only 16 in 111.1 innings pitched for the Southeast Regional champion Trojans.
Larsson, a junior from Vancouver, British Columbia, was named as the NCBWA National Player of the Year and a first-team All-America performer after he batted .432 with 13 doubles, four triples, 29 home runs and 84 RBIs for the Aggies.
Jeffcoat, who is in his sixth season as UWF's head coach, was named as the NCBWA National Coach of the Year after leading the Argonauts to a 49-9 record, the Gulf South Conference East and South Regional championships and a berth in the Division II national tournament.
Four of Jeffcoat's UWF players earned NCBWA All-America honors, led by first-team outfielder and South Region Player of the Year Greg Pron. A trio of Argonauts was named to second-team status: Starting pitcher Daniel Vargas-Villa, relief pitcher Shane Waller and shortstop Brandon Brewer.
Larsson was one of three Cameron student athletes who earned NCBWA All-America honors. Second baseman Josh Dawson and outfielder Kenny Held each earned a second-team honor.
Capps was joined on the NCBWA All-America team by two teammates, first-team designated hitter/utility player Mike Knox and honorable mention third baseman Jacob Rogers.
A panel of Division II media personnel and sports information directors selected the NCBWA All-America Team. To be eligible for NCBWA All-America honors, a student athlete must be selected as a first-team NCBWA all-region performer. The National Pitcher of the Year, National Player of the Year and National Coach of the Year are selected from a pool of candidates who earned those honors in regional voting.
The complete 2011 NCBWA Division II All-America Team included:
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