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Four Dores Honored

Vanderbilt leads nation with four preseason All-Americans

Austin MartinAustin Martin

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt leads the nation with four student-athletes recognized among D1Baseball’s preseason All-Americans — including three first-team honorees — the publication announced Tuesday.

Relief pitcher Tyler Brown, third baseman Austin Martin and starting pitcher Kumar Rocker were all tabbed as first-team selections. Starter Mason Hickman was named to the second team.

Brown, a junior righty, is looking to seize momentum from an impressive sophomore campaign when he set a benchmark with 17 saves and was named All-SEC first team. The Ashland, Ohio, product allowed runs in just four of his 31 appearances. He notched two saves in 7.2 innings pitched during the College World Series.

Martin, a junior, was a key contributor to the Commodores’ high-powered offense a season ago. His 87 runs scored tied the program record and his .394 batting average was the highest for a Commodore since 2004. He led the SEC in batting average, hits per game, on-base percentage and runs scored.

Rocker, a sophomore righty, was an essential to postseason success a season ago. As a freshman, he was chosen as the College World Series Most Outstanding Player and was named freshman of the year by Baseball America and D1Baseball. Last season, he posted a 12-5 record and 3.25 ERA.

Hickman, a junior righty, notched the win in the winner-take-all finale against Michigan to claim the national championship. In that matchup, he struck out 10 and only allowed a run in six frames. In four NCAA Tournament appearances, Hickman went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 23.0 innings pitched.

The Commodores open the season on Feb. 14 as a part of the MLB4 Collegiate Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they will have a rematch of the College World Series finals with No. 13 Michigan before facing UConn and Cal Poly. The home opener at Hawkins Field versus South Alabama is set for Feb. 18, with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.