COLUMBUS, OHIO (NCBWA) The seventh annual Preseason Division
I All-America baseball team chosen by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association of America (NCBWA) features five standouts from 2005 NCAA winner
Texas and runner-up Florida.
The Gators' slugging first baseman Matt LaPorta with 26 homers and 79
RBI as a sophomore joins Longhorns' All-America OF Drew Stubbs and starting
pitcher Kyle McCulloch off coach Augie Garrido's 56-16 national championship
squad. UF's 2B Adam Davis graces the third team while Texas' sophomore RHP
Adrian Alaniz is a third team starter after his 8-3 freshman campaign with
a 2.67 ERA.
Sixteen different Division I conferences have representation on the preseason
crew while the starting lineup sports a composite batting average of .362,
105 composite home runs and 491 RBI. Junior OF Shane Robinson of Florida
State also returns as the only one of four finalists for the coveted Dick
Howser Trophy, presented by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce
and the NCBWA.
Robinson batted .427 for coach Mike Martin's Seminoles as a sophomore
in 2005 and was one of the runners-up to Dick Howser Trophy Award winner
3B Alex Gordon of Nebraska last summer.
LaPorta paces all the returnees with 26 round-trippers while three starting
pitchers on the first team each nailed down 12 victories in '05. SP Ian
Kennedy of Southern California joined LaPorta and Robinson as three of the
returnees from the NCBWA's '05 postseason All-America squad. Graduation
and professional signings claimed 15 of the 18 standouts from the NCBWA
first team, which was chosen in June 2005.
Nominations and watch lists for the selection of the 20th annual 2006
Dick Howser Trophy will be made public in spring 2006.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college
baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of
the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates
and official votes in the Dick Howser Player of the Year Trophy, Regional Players
of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason
All-American awards, publication and writing contests.