Aggies Hunter Haas, Jace LaViolette Earn ABCA Honors
Texas A&M's season around the diamond might have ended in a souring slugfest against Stanford, but the awards continue to pile in for vital players who thrived in College Station.
A&M junior shortstop Hunter Haas and freshman outfielder Jace LaViolette were among 21 selections on the American Baseball Coaches Association’s ABCA/Rawlings All-Central second team. Hass and LaViolette, both first-year players with the program, were two of the team's more consistent two-way players during conference play.
Haas, a transfer from Arizona State, batted .323 with 14 doubles, 10 home runs, 46 runs batted in and 49 walks. LaViolette, a towering 6-6 outfielder from Katy Tompkins, posted a .287 batting average with 10 doubles, 21 homers, 63 runs batted and 48 walks.
LaViolette's ability to drive the ball out of the yard cemented his place in Aggie history, surpassing A&M legend John Byington's record for home runs by a freshman (17) set in 1987. LaViolette finished with 21 dingers, three of which came on the same night in a victory over Mississippi State to secure A&M's spot in the conference tournament.
While LaViolette is expected back at Blue Bell Park for his sophomore campaign, questions surround Haas entering the MLB Draft. He's eligible to hear his name called and leave for the pros, but there's no specific feel as to where he could land.
An above-average fielding shortstop, Hass was credited with a .974 and 159 assists against six errors. In the Stanford Regional, Haas was credited with helping turn four double plays, two of which came in a win over the No.8 -seeded Cardinal.
Dallas Baptist had four of the 22 first-team players— freshman catcher Grant Jay, junior designated hitter Ethan Mann, sophomore pitcher Ryan Johnson and junior relief pitcher Kyle Amendt. Oral Roberts, who shocked the baseball community by making it to the College World Series as the No. 4-seed in the Nashville Regional, finished second with three first-team players — junior outfielder Jonah Cox, sophomore pitcher Books Fowler and junior reliever Cade Denton.
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