NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A trio of Commodores were named Preseason All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Thursday.
Outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. was named to the first team and pitchers Carter Holton and Thomas Schultz were named to the third team.
Bradfield was a consensus All-American in his sophomore campaign in 2022. He posted a .317 average with eight home runs and 36 RBIs while leading the SEC and ranking second nationally in stolen bases, going 46-for-46 on the season. He also led the SEC with five triples and earned first team All-SEC honors.
Holton made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2022. The southpaw earned unanimous Freshman All-America recognition and was Freshman All-SEC. Holton ranked sixth in the SEC with a 3.14 ERA and compiled an 8-4 record with a pair of complete games. His 97 strikeouts were second-most on the team.
Schultz boasted a 2.88 ERA over 34.1 innings with a 4-2 record and eight saves during his junior season. The righty made 23 appearances and totaled 33 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .215 average.
Bradfield and Holton are unanimous preseason All-America selections and Schultz also earned All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.
The Commodores will begin the season ranked sixth by Baseball America, ninth by the USA Today Coaches Poll, NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball, 10th by D1 Baseball and 11th by Perfect Game.
Vanderbilt opens the 2023 season Feb. 17-19 at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas.
