DALLAS (NCBWA) For the 19th consecutive year, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced its 2019 District Players of the Year on Friday afternoon.
The 2019 NCBWA District Players of the Year are District 1: 1B Patrick McColl (Harvard); District 2: SP Alek Manoah (West Virginia); District 3: OF JJ Bleday (Vanderbilt); District 4: SP Noah Song (Navy); District 5: RP Garrett Acton (Illinois); District 6: SP TJ Sikkema (Missouri); District 7: 3B Kody Hoese (Tulane) and 3B Josh Jung (Texas Tech); District 8: 2B Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State); District 9: C Adley Rutschman (Oregon State) and 1B Andrew Vaughn (California).
McColl, a senior who helped Harvard to an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2005, was a first-team All-Ivy selection at first base. He hit a team-leading .387 and paced the Crimson with 16 doubles and 12 home runs. McColl led the Ivy League with 70 hits, 47 runs scored and owned an impressive .724 slugging percentage. The Los Altos, California native, was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 10th round of the draft.
Manoah, a junior right-handed pitcher at West Virginia, helped lead the Mountaineers to their second NCAA Regional in the last three years, 13th overall in school history and second time hosting the event first since 1955. He was the 11th overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft on Monday. Manoah was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and is a finalist for the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year award and was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The Miami, Florida, native compiled a 9-4 record in 16 starts with a 2.08 ERA in 108.1 innings worked. Opponents hit just .186 against Manoah, who was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Vanderbilt's Bleday, a junior outfielder from Panama City, Florida, was picked fourth overall in the draft by the Miami Marlins. He enters this weekend's NCAA Super Regional as the nation's leader in home runs (26) and heads up the SEC in slugging percentage (.739) and total bases (178). Bleday was named the SEC Player of the Year and earned SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors as the Commodores claimed their first tournament crown since 2007.
Navy's Song, a right-hander from Claremont, California, posted one of the most dominant seasons in the Midshipmens' history. The right-hander went 11-1, while making 14 starts. He struck out 161 batters while limiting opponents to a .171 batting average. Song, the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-Patriot League selection, earned First-Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.
Acton, helped Illinois to an NCAA Regional as the mainstay in the bullpen. The junior right-hander set school and Big Ten records for saves (19), while making a staff-high 30 appearances. Acton dominated opponents with a .127 batting average and struck out 34 in 33 innings of work. The Lemont, Illinois, native earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was selected to Collegiate Baseball's All-America squad.
Sikkema, a junior left-hander, was selected by the New York Yankees with the 38th overall pick in the draft following a season that included a 7-4 record, a 1.32 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 88.2 innings. The Dewitt, Iowa, native was a second-team All-SEC honoree, third-team Collegiate Baseball All-America and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Hoese exploded into the national picture as a junior, slugging 23 home runs for the Green Wave. Hoese drove in 62 runs and scored 72 runs, en route to American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. He is a finalist for the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. On Monday, Hoese was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 25th overall pick.
Jung, who has split time this season on the left side of the infield, helped the Red Raiders to this weekend's Super Regional against Oklahoma State. The San Antonio, Texas, native became the second player in program history to be selected in the first round when he was tabbed by Texas Rangers. Jung hit .340 as a junior with 22 doubles and 11 home runs. He fashioned a team-leading .478 on-base average, scored 59 runs and knocked in 53. He is the fourth player in program history named Big 12 Player of the Year, and was a first team All-Big 12 member. He also was named an all-American by Collegiate Baseball and a finalist for the Bragan Award.
Rutschman, a catcher at Oregon State, was the top draft pick in this week's MLB Draft, going to the Orioles, and was the Beavers' first player to go No. 1 overall. As a junior, the Sherwood, Oregon, native hit .411 with 17 home runs, 58 runs batted in and drew a school-record 76 walks. He was honored as the Pac 12's Player of the Year and Collegiate Baseball tabbed him as its National Player of the Year. Rutschman also is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and is a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award for the nation's top catcher.
Just a sophomore, Gonzales headed up a potent Aggie lineup with a .432 batting average, 19 doubles and 16 home runs. He reached base at a .532 clip, scored 80 runs and collected 80 RBI. The Vail, Arizona, native was a first team All-WAC selection at second base and was a first-team honoree on Collegiate Baseball's All-America team. Gonzales joins Hoese and Jung as finalists for the Bragan Award.
Vaughn was the third overall pick by the Chicago White Sox on Monday. The slugging first baseman earned All-Pac 12 First Team honors, for a third straight season after hitting .381 with 14 doubles and 15 home runs. He drove in 50 runs and scored 49 while posting an on-base average of .544. Vaughn is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and earned Collegiate Baseball All-America honors.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, ncbwa.com. For more information, contact NCBWA Executive Assistant Director Mike Montoro (304-293-2821, mike.montoro@mail.wvu.edu).