Feb. 5, 2010
DURHAM, N.C.– Georgia Tech baseball juniors Kevin Jacob and Deck McGuire were both named to Baseball America’s 2010 preseason All-America team, it was announced Friday.
Both Tech pitchers join eight other members from the Atlantic Coast Conference on the overall list, and along with Virginia outfielder Jarrett Parker are the three representatives from the conference named to the preseason All-America first team.
McGuire, a native of Richmond, Va., picks up his third preseason first-team All-America nod the year after earning Louisville Slugger and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) honors back in December.
The 2009 ACC Pitcher of the Year posted an 11-2 record last season, holding a 3.50 ERA with 118 strikeouts. He was also a finalist for national pitcher of the year and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation’s top player.
Jacob, who was named the 2009 Top Prospect in the Alaska league while playing for the Anchorage Bucs over the summer, went 5-3 last season while striking out 54 batters in 55.2 innings pitched. The 6-6, right-hander was moved from a mid-week starter to a closer at the end of his sophomore season, and excelled over the summer chalking up 12 saves with a 0.34 earned run average in 26 2/3 innings of work.
Baseball America annually polls major league scouting directors to vote on the team and 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. Eleven of the 15 college players drafted in the first round last June appeared on Baseball America’s preseason All-America list and 11 of last year’s preseason All-Americans played for teams that reached the College World Series.
Tech will open the 2010 season with a three-game series against Missouri State at Russ Chandler Stadium beginning Friday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m.
