Dec. 22, 2015
Collegiate Baseball named four Commodores preseason All-Americans heading into the 2016 season.
Kyle Wright, Ben Bowden and Bryan Reynolds were all named to the second team with Jeren Kendall earning a spot on the third team. Wright and Kendall were consensus Freshman All-Americans last season. Bowden posted a dominating summer in the Cape Cod League earning co-MVP honors in the finals while helping Yarmouth-Dennis to the league title. Reynolds enters his junior season as one of the highest rated players in the country after a pair of impressive seasons in Black & Gold.
Wright led all Vanderbilt relievers with a 1.23 ERA as a freshman last season, transitioning into the team’s closer role late in the year and earning four saves down the stretch. He struck out 62 in 58.2 innings of a team-high 29 games. The sophomore from Huntsville, Ala. figures to be a part of the team’s starting rotation when the Dores host San Diego on opening weekend.
Bowden’s big summer followed a solid sophomore season at Vanderbilt where his six wins were the second-most on the team. The big lefty also saved a pair of games while striking out 49 with 14 walks over 37.1 innings.
Kendall put an exclamation point on his freshman season in Omaha, hitting a walk-off home run to beat Cal State Fullerton in the opening game of the tournament. The Holmen, Wisc. native hit .281 with eight homers and tied Dansby Swanson for the team lead with six triples in 2015.
Reynolds has posted two impressive seasons back-to-back at Vanderbilt, leading the Dores in hitting as a freshman and finishing second on the team last year hitting .318 with 27 extra-base hits. Many experts project Reynolds to be selected in the first round of this summer’s MLB Draft.
The Louisville Slugger Pre-Season All-Americans for 2016 include:
FIRST TEAM
RHP Alex Lange (Louisiana St.)
RHP Mike Shawaryn (Maryland)
LHP A.J. Puk (Florida)
RHP Logan Shore (Florida)
RHP Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville)
RHP Kevin Hill (South Alabama)
Relief Zack Burdi (Louisville)
Relief Zach Jackson (Arkansas)
C Zack Collins (Miami, Fla.)
1B/P Carmen Benedetti (Michigan)
2B Stefan Trosclair (Louisiana-Lafayette)
3B Will Craig (Wake Forest)
SS Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina)
OF Buddy Reed (Florida)
OF Nick Banks (Texas A&M)
OF Corey Ray (Louisville)
UT Brendan McKay (Louisville)
SECOND TEAM
LHP Justin Sinibaldi (Nicholls St.)
RHP Bryan Young (Missouri St.)
LHP Jared Poche’ (Louisiana St.)
RHP Andrew Lantrip (Houston)
RHP Mitchell Traver (Texas Christian)
LHP Luke Gillingham (Navy)
RHP Alec Hansen (Oklahoma)
RHP Connor Jones (Virginia)
RHP Kyle Wright (Vanderbilt)
RHP Robert Tyler (Georgia)
RHP Daulton Jefferies (California)
Relief Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt)
Relief Nolan Blackwood (Memphis)
Relief Ian Hamilton (Washington St.)
Relief Bryan Garcia (Miami, Fla.)
C Chris Okey (Clemson)
C J.J. Schwarz (Florida)
1B Ryan Rippee (S.E. Missouri St.)
1B K.J. Harrison (Oregon St.)
1B Ryan Tinkman (Wichita St.)
2B Nate Mondou (Wake Forest)
3B Bobby Dalbec (Arizona)
SS Colby Woodmansee (Arizona St.)
SS Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma)
OF Kyle Lewis (Mercer)
OF Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt)
OF Heath Quinn (Samford)
UT Corbin Olmstead (North Florida)
THIRD TEAM
RHP Zach Plesac (Ball St.)
LHP Christian Stolo (Nevada)
LHP Jacob Hendren (Illinois St.)
RHP Chris Mathewson (Long Beach St.)
RHP Joseph Camacho (Alabama St.)
RHP Michael Baumann (Jacksonville)
LHP Matt Krook (Oregon)
RHP Cal Quantrill (Stanford)
Relief Mark Ecker (Texas A&M)
Relief Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s)
Relief Dylan Moore (Louisiana-Lafayette)
Relief J.D. Busfield (Loyola Marymount)
Relief Zac Ryan (Georgia Tech.)
Relief Collin Kober (McNeese St.)
C Matt Thaiss (Virginia)
C Andrew Knizner (N.C. State)
1B Nick Rivera (Florida Gulf Coast)
1B Charley Gould (William & Mary)
1B Collin Carroll (Alcorn St.)
1B Kevin Phillips (East Tennessee St.)
2B Trevor Ezell (Southeast Missouri St.)
2B Tyler Fullerton (Belmont)
2B Mike Garzillo (Lehigh)
3B Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico)
3B Jake Burger (Missouri St.)
3B JaVon Shelby (Kentucky)
3B Nick Senzel (Tennessee)
SS Garrett Hampson (Long Beach St.)
SS Stephen Alemais (Tulane)
SS Danny Sheehan (San Diego St.)
SS C.J. Chatham (Florida Atlantic)
OF Gio Brusa (Pacific)
OF Kyle Nowlin (Eastern Kentucky)
OF Michael Morman (Richmond)
OF Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt)
UT Cole Hallum (Campbell)
