Feb. 5, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore right-handed pitchers Sonny Gray and Jack Armstrong were both named to Baseball America’s preseason All-America teams that were released today by the magazine.
Gray was named to the BA’s second-team, while Armstrong was a third-team choice.
The duo was part of a group of 13 Southeastern Conference players named to the three All-America squads, including seven first-team selections.
Gray went 5-1 with a 4.30 ERA and notched 72 strikeouts in 58.2 innings last spring en route to Freshman All-American honors. He pitched predominantly out of the bullpen to start the year before moving into the weekend rotation at the end of the season. The Smyrna, Tenn., native made 22 appearances with four starts and led the team with five saves. He pitched for the USA National Collegiate Team over the summer and went 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA in eight appearances. Gray struck out 27 in 24 innings while opponents hit only .139 off him and was named the No. 3 pro prospect on the squad by Baseball America.
Armstrong saw limited action for the Commodores last spring as he adjusted to the college game. He recorded a three-inning save in his last outing, a 10-2 win over Georgia on May 8. The Florida native excelled over the summer pitching for Wareham in the Cape Cod League. He went 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA and struck out 31 in 35 innings of work for the Gateman Armstrong was named to the Cape Cod All-Star team and was honored with Wareham’s Albert Bigelow Award, an award given to the team’s most outstanding pitcher. His four wins tied for tops in the CCBL and he was ranked the No. 6 prospect in the league by Baseball America.
Both players are expected to start on the weekends, with Gray slated to take the hill in the Commodores season opener against Niagara on Feb. 19.
Baseball America annually polls major league scouting directors to vote on the team and make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. In the past, the preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success. For example, 11 of the 15 college players drafted in the first round last June appeared on Baseball America’s preseason All-America list–eight of them on the first team. And for the second year in a row, 11 of last year’s preseason All-Americans played for teams that reached the College World Series.