University of Connecticut Athletics
Baseball America Announces All-Americans
6/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 16, 2011
DURHAM, N.C. - UConn baseball's George Springer and Matt Barnes were tagged as All-Americans by Baseball America on Wednesday. Both Huskies were named to the second team.
Both Springer and Barnes were most recently selected in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Springer was chosen by the Houston Astros as the 11th overall pick, while Barnes was the 19th overall pick and was taken by the Boston Red Sox. Springer became the highest drafted Husky in program history.
The two Huskies joined former Husky Charles Nagy as the only UConn players to be drafted in the first round. Nagy was taken in the first round of the 1988 amateur draft as the No. 17 overall pick.
Springer, one of the most successful players in UConn history, led the Huskies in 2011 with 61 runs scored, 77 RBI and 31 stolen bases in 66 games played. He also led the team with 12 home runs and a .609 slugging percentage, while adding 23 doubles, three triples and eight sacrifice flies. Springer holds the all-time UConn record in home runs with 46 and runs scored with 220. He also owns UConn's single-season record in runs scored with 84, which he recorded in 2010.
Springer was named the 2011 BIG EAST Player of the Year and a Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He joined Barnes as a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist as well as an All-BIG EAST First Team selection.
Barnes posted an overall record of 11-5 in 17 starts in 2011. He recorded three complete game shutouts on the year and an ERA of 1.93 in 121.0 innings of work. He held opponents to a batting average of .187 and registered a team-high 117 strikeouts. He is ranked third among all-time Huskies in wins (24) and first in strikeouts (247), while holding the record for the most innings pitched in a single season with 121.0. The junior is one of four all-time Huskies to record 10 or more wins in a single season and one of four Huskies to win 20 or more games in his career.
Barnes was named the 2011 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and a Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He also was named to the 2011 All-BIG EAST First Team.
