Jan. 31, 2017
NCWBA Official Release
ACC Official Release
DALLAS, Texas – Georgia Tech junior duo Kel Johnson and Trevor Craport were both named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-America teams on Tuesday. Johnson was named to the second team, while Craport earned a spot on the third team.
Johnson, who was named to the Collegiate Baseball 2017 Preseason All-America third team earlier this month, was a 2016 All-ACC First-Team selection last season as a sophomore.
In 2016, Johnson started 61 games for the Yellow Jackets, making 41 starts in the outfield and 20 as the designated hitter. He finished fourth on the team in hitting at .319 with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 54 RBI. His 11 home runs and 54 RBI were both tied for the team lead on the season. He amassed 21 multi-hit games, which tied for fourth on the team, and 12 multi-RBI games, which tied for second on the team. His season was highlighted by a 22-game hitting streak, which tied for the eighth-longest hitting streak in school history.
As a freshman in 2015, Johnson was named a 2015 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and earned a spot on the 2015 D1Baseball Freshman All-America Second Team.
After focusing on pitching as freshman in 2015, Craport moved over to the offense as a sophomore in 2016 where he started 56 games, including 52 at third base. Craport ranked second on the team with a .352 batting average and totaled seven home runs and 31 RBI on the season. Statistically, he was the toughest Yellow Jacket to strike out last season, once every 11.7 at bats, which also ranked fifth in the ACC and 82nd nationally. He recorded 20 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games, and was named the National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on May 16.
The Yellow Jackets host a total of 31 home games at Russ Chandler Stadium in a challenging 2017 slate, which includes contests versus seven 2016 NCAA Baseball Championship participants in Miami (Fla.), Virginia, Clemson, Wake Forest, Duke, Louisville and Western Michigan.
Georgia Tech opens its 2017 slate on Friday, Feb. 17, versus BYU at 4 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Friday afternoon contest is the first of three games on opening weekend, as the Yellow Jackets also host Marshall (Feb. 18) and Western Michigan (Feb. 19) as part of the Atlanta Challenge.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball) , Facebook , Instagram (@gt_baseball ) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com .
