NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt leads the nation with four Collegiate Baseball preseason All-Americans, including pacing all schools with three on the first team, the publication announced Tuesday.
Juniors Mason Hickman and Austin Martin were joined by sophomore Kumar Rocker on the 17-member first team. Junior Tyler Brown, who led the SEC and set a program record with 17 saves a season ago, was recognized as a second-team honoree.
Hickman, Rocker and Brown bolster a Vanderbilt pitching staff that has been regarded among the best in the country entering the season. Commodore returning pitchers went 34-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 374 innings a season ago.
Hickman, a right-hander from Hendersonville, Tennessee, finished 13th nationally in strikeouts (129) and 20th in WHIP (0.95) a season ago while allowing two-or-fewer runs in 12 of his last 13 starts. In four NCAA Tournament starts, he went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA across 23 innings.
They’ll never see this gift coming. 🌱🎁
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Rocker, a right-hander from Athens, Georgia, is the reigning College World Series Most Outstanding Player after going 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA at the event. The D1Baseball and Baseball America Freshman All-American finished third nationally with 12 victories, going 12-5 with a 3.25 ERA.
Brown, a right-hander from Ashland, Ohio, did not allow a run in 15 of his last 16 appearances including five straight a season ago. In six NCAA Tournament appearances, he limited opponents to a .229 average highlighted by recording three saves and not allowing a run in 7.2 innings at the College World Series.
Martin, a utility player from Jacksonville, Florida, is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft according to MLB.com and Perfect Game. During a breakout sophomore campaign in which he was named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, Martin led the SEC in average (.392), hits per game (1.62), on-base percentage (.486) and runs (87).
On Monday, Collegiate Baseball picked Vanderbilt to finish second nationally in its preseason poll. The Commodores garnered 495 points, two off Louisville, who is the favorite to win it all. It marked the 10th consecutive time Vanderbilt enters a season ranked inside the top 10.
