Friday, January 06, 2006

Six Atlantic Sun Conference baseball standouts landed on preseason All-America teams in advance of the 2006 campaign.

Reigning A-Sun Freshman of the Year Chris Johnson of Stetson received third-team preseason honors from Collegiate Baseball. The Fort Myers, Fla., native batted .383 with eight home runs and 52 RBI while starting all 63 games for the defending conference tournament champs in 2005. He collected 100 hits on the season, becoming just the third Hatter in school history to reach that milestone while leading the league in hits and total bases (149).

Fellow NCAA Tournament participant Florida Atlantic features a pair of preseason All-Americans according to the Rosenblatt Report. Mickey Storey posted a 10-1, 1.70 ERA in 2005 and earned second-team honors from Louisville Slugger earlier this year. Mike McBryde earned third-team honors for the second time this preseason as an outfielder after leading the team with a .370 batting average, 40 RBI and breaking the FAU record for hits in a season with 98. The junior served as the team's closer and posted 10 saves and a 3.11 ERA.

Rounding out the accolades for the conference are two more Collegiate Baseball preseason All-Americans at newcomer ETSU. Otfielder Shane Byrne and shortstop Chuck Hargis will lead the Bucs in the first season in the A-Sun. Hargis led the team and was sixth in the nation a year ago with 22 doubles, and was a second-team All-Region choice. Byrne led the Bucs with 70 runs scored, 81 hits, five triples and 33 walks in 2005. He is also the squad’s leading returnee in home runs, slugging percentage and on base percentage.

Campbell first baseman Mike Priest rounded out the A-Sun contingent with thrid team honors. Last season Priest led the A-Sun in slugging percentage (.687), set a Campbell Division I era (since 1978) record to finish third in doubles (22), third in total bases (145) and third in homeruns (14).

The Atlantic Sun Conference season begins on February 1 when Jacksonville travels to Florida A&M with every team's efforts focues on the conference championship on May 24-27 at Melching Field in DeLand, Fla.