Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech baseball player Austin Wates has been named to the 2010 Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American team, as announced by Collegiate Baseball on Monday.
A junior from Richmond, Va., Wates was selected to the third team as a first baseman, and joins ten other ACC players on the first, second and third teams. Tech’s last postseason All-Americans were Matt Dalton and Marc Tugwell in 2003.
Wates began the 2009 season rotating between right field, left field and designated hitter, but switched to first base midway through the year and settled in as one of the best defensive first basemen in the league. He also thrived at the plate, ranking fourth in the ACC with a .397 batting average, seventh with 20 doubles, eighth with 16 stolen bases, 12th with a .608 slugging percentage and 13th with a .447 on-base percentage. He also added 50 runs scored, five home runs and 42 runs batted in.
Wates followed up his breakout season with a stellar showing in the prestigious Cape Cod summer league, where he was ranked the 15th-best pro prospect by Baseball America after being named to the all-league team as an outfielder. He finished the season fourth in the league with a .312 batting average, while tallying eight doubles, two triples and 21 RBIs. He also swiped 12 bases and was a starter in the mid-season all-star game at Fenway Park.
Wates and the Hokies will begin the 2010 season on Feb. 19 at Coastal Carolina's Caravelle Resort Tournament.