Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Catcher Ryan Stafford Garners Second Freshman All-America Award
7/7/2022 2:32:00 PM | Baseball
BASEBALL AMERICA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly catcher Ryan Stafford has earned his second freshman All-America award.
Honored by Collegiate Baseball a month ago, Stafford was selected by Baseball America this week, becoming the first Mustang in program history to be named to a pair of freshman All-America teams. He is the 10th Mustang to capture Freshman All-America honors in Division I.
Stafford is among 16 players selected by Baseball America on its Freshman All-American first team. Sixteen other players were named to the second unit.
The Big West Conference's first-team catcher, Stafford hit .321 in his first season at Cal Poly with 16 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 33 RBIs. The Folsom High School graduate hit .336 in Big West Conference games and was one of three Mustangs who started all 58 games this season.
Stafford was second on the team with 25 multiple-hit games and fifth with his seven multiple-RBI contests. Stafford also produced the team's third-longest hitting streak at 12 games and was No. 3 with his streak of 17 games reaching base safely as well.
Among his 58 starts were 45 games behind the plate, 12 in left field and one as designated hitter. Stafford threw out 11 would-be base stealers, allowing 22 stolen bases, and picked off four other runners.
Stafford was Cal Poly's leadoff hitter for the first 44 games of the season. His average slipped 63 points from a high of .343 in early April, and head coach Larry Lee and his staff decided that a change in scenery was in order.
Stafford was dropped into the No. 5 spot, where he went 10-for-15 with nine RBIs and seven runs scored in four games against CSU Bakersfield and Pepperdine, the start of Cal Poly's 13-game winning streak. He then moved up to the cleanup spot in the order and was 7-for-14 in the Cal State Fullerton series sweep.
Stafford produced a 12-game hitting streak after falling out of the leadoff spot, going 26-for-51 (.510) with 16 RBIs and lifting his average back up to .329 near the end of the season.
Stafford homered in back-to-back games at UNLV, both solo shots, and added a two-run blast against CSU Bakersfield. He was named Big West Field Player of the Week following the series against the Roadrunners.
Also named to Collegiate Baseball's Freshman All-American Team from the Big West Conference was Long Beach State starting pitcher Juaron Watts-Brown, who threw a no-hitter in May and compiled a 3.68 ERA with a .194 opponents' batting average and 111 strikeouts over 73 1/3 innings.
Designated hitter Tommy White of North Carolina State was named Baseball America Freshman National Player of the Year. White hit 27 home runs, an NCAA record for a freshman, and drove in 74 runs, hitting .362.
Virginia placed three players on the first and second teams. UCLA and Tennessee both placed two players on the first unit.
A year ago, Cal Poly right-hander Drew Thorpe and shortstop Brooks Lee were named Freshman All-Americans.
Other former Mustangs earning similar honors were Bradlee Beesley (2017), Kyle Marinconz (2016), Nick Meyer (2016), Brian Mundell (2013), Reed Reilly (2012), Matt Jensen (2009) and Luke Yoder (2007).
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly catcher Ryan Stafford has earned his second freshman All-America award.
Honored by Collegiate Baseball a month ago, Stafford was selected by Baseball America this week, becoming the first Mustang in program history to be named to a pair of freshman All-America teams. He is the 10th Mustang to capture Freshman All-America honors in Division I.
Stafford is among 16 players selected by Baseball America on its Freshman All-American first team. Sixteen other players were named to the second unit.
The Big West Conference's first-team catcher, Stafford hit .321 in his first season at Cal Poly with 16 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 33 RBIs. The Folsom High School graduate hit .336 in Big West Conference games and was one of three Mustangs who started all 58 games this season.
Stafford was second on the team with 25 multiple-hit games and fifth with his seven multiple-RBI contests. Stafford also produced the team's third-longest hitting streak at 12 games and was No. 3 with his streak of 17 games reaching base safely as well.
Among his 58 starts were 45 games behind the plate, 12 in left field and one as designated hitter. Stafford threw out 11 would-be base stealers, allowing 22 stolen bases, and picked off four other runners.
Stafford was Cal Poly's leadoff hitter for the first 44 games of the season. His average slipped 63 points from a high of .343 in early April, and head coach Larry Lee and his staff decided that a change in scenery was in order.
Stafford was dropped into the No. 5 spot, where he went 10-for-15 with nine RBIs and seven runs scored in four games against CSU Bakersfield and Pepperdine, the start of Cal Poly's 13-game winning streak. He then moved up to the cleanup spot in the order and was 7-for-14 in the Cal State Fullerton series sweep.
Stafford produced a 12-game hitting streak after falling out of the leadoff spot, going 26-for-51 (.510) with 16 RBIs and lifting his average back up to .329 near the end of the season.
Stafford homered in back-to-back games at UNLV, both solo shots, and added a two-run blast against CSU Bakersfield. He was named Big West Field Player of the Week following the series against the Roadrunners.
Also named to Collegiate Baseball's Freshman All-American Team from the Big West Conference was Long Beach State starting pitcher Juaron Watts-Brown, who threw a no-hitter in May and compiled a 3.68 ERA with a .194 opponents' batting average and 111 strikeouts over 73 1/3 innings.
Designated hitter Tommy White of North Carolina State was named Baseball America Freshman National Player of the Year. White hit 27 home runs, an NCAA record for a freshman, and drove in 74 runs, hitting .362.
Virginia placed three players on the first and second teams. UCLA and Tennessee both placed two players on the first unit.
A year ago, Cal Poly right-hander Drew Thorpe and shortstop Brooks Lee were named Freshman All-Americans.
Other former Mustangs earning similar honors were Bradlee Beesley (2017), Kyle Marinconz (2016), Nick Meyer (2016), Brian Mundell (2013), Reed Reilly (2012), Matt Jensen (2009) and Luke Yoder (2007).
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