University of Georgia junior Aaron Schunk has been named a preseason Third Team All-American according to Baseball America Monday.
Schunk, a third baseman/closer from Atlanta, made the squad as a utility player as voted on by Major League Baseball scouting directors. In 2018, Schunk was one of three finalists for the John Olerud Award which goes to the nation’s top two-way player by the College Baseball Foundation, and he was a Third Team All-America selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
An Academic All-SEC standout, the 6-2, 205-pound right-hander started all 60 games at third base and batted .299 with three home runs, 12 doubles and 38 RBI. He had a 22-game hitting streak, which ranked third best in school history and was one of the longest in the SEC in 2018. Also, he served as the team’s closer, posting eight saves while going 2-2 with a 3.00 Earned Run Average. In 30 innings, he issued just five walks and registered 31 strikeouts. Last year, Schunk helped the Bulldogs go 39-21 overall, 18-12 in the SEC, advance to the NCAA Athens Regional Final and a year-end top 25 ranking.
Baseball America annually polls major league organizations’ scouting departments to vote on the All-America team and asks that they make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. In the past, the Preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success. Schunk is the 20th preseason All-American in school history and the first since pitcher Robert Tyler and outfielder Stephen Wrenn in 2016.
The Bulldogs are a consensus top 15 team in the 2019 preseason rankings including as high as No. 9 by D1Baseball.com. Georgia opens the season Feb. 15 with series against Dayton at Foley Field.
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