Dec. 29, 2008
ATLANTA – Sophomores Derek Dietrich and Deck McGuire have been named to the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List, the College Baseball Foundation announced this month.
The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Twenty Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes have been named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List, including Dietrich and McGuire.
Dietrich, the Rivals.com National Freshman Player of the Year and the National Freshman Hitter of the Year by the NCBWA in 2008, returns for his second season as the Yellow Jackets’ starting shortstop after spending the summer competing for the USA National Team. The Parma, Ohio, native hit .332 with 14 home runs and 66 RBI in his first year on the Flats and helped lead the Americans to the gold medal at the FISU World Championships in July.
McGuire spent the summer as the ace of the Peninsula Pilots pitching staff after leading the Yellow Jackets with eight wins in his first season on the Flats. A first-team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2008, McGuire started 13 games last season, posting an 8-1 record with a 3.46 ERA in 78.0 innings of work. He also struck out 70 and issued only 32 walks.
For a complete list of candidates for the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award, go to www.collegebaseballfoundation.org.
