July 6, 2012
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech senior first baseman Jake Davies and sophomore pitcher Alex Cruz have been named to the 2012 College Baseball Insider All-America Team, announced Friday by the online publication. Davies and Cruz, both honorable mention picks, are the 43rd and 44th All-Americans at Tech.
2012 College Baseball Insider All-America Team
Since 1957, a total of 44 Yellow Jackets have garnered 110 All-America accolades. Including Davies and Cruz, at least one Jacket has earned All-America honors in four consecutive years, and in seven of the last eight.
Davies hit .326 on the year, led the team in home runs (14), led the ACC in RBI (73 – tied for fourth nationally) and turned it on late to aid the Yellow Jackets’ ACC Championship cause. The senior first baseman, who was the ACC tournament MVP and helped lead Tech the championship game of the NCAA Gainesville Regional, accumulated 15 RBI and five homers while hitting .344 over the Jackets’ eight games in the postseason. He also pitched a career-best six innings of two-hit, one-run ball in an ACC tournament win over Clemson. For the season, the second-team All-ACC pick played in all 64 games and collected 11 doubles and struck out just 24 times in 239 at bats. His 73 RBI are tied for the 14th most at Tech in a single season.
Cruz’s emergence from a reserve infielder to the go-to-guy in the bullpen was crucial for Tech’s 2012 success. The sophomore righty, who had not pitched since high school, finished the year with an 8-3 record, two saves and a sparkling 1.83 ERA in a team-high 30 appearances (73 2/3 innings). Both of Cruz’s saves came in the ACC Tournament, while his first career start was a memorable six-inning, two-hit masterpiece in a 3-0 win over the College of Charleston in the NCAA Regional. His 1.83 ERA ranked 10th in the NCAA (second in the ACC), his 0.94 WHIP was 12th nationally and Cruz allowed just 5.62 hits per nine innings (fifth-best in the NCAA).
Of the 129 players named to College Baseball Insider All-America squads, 12 were from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Of the ACC schools, only Georgia Tech, Florida State and NC State had multiple players selected.
