PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Ten American Athletic Conference baseball players earned All-America recognition from ABCA/Rawlings, Baseball America, CoSIDA, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com, the NCBWA and Perfect Game, as announced by the organizations this spring. Wichita State’s Alec Bohm and Liam Eddy, UConn’s Mason Feole, P.J. Poulin, Isaac Feldstein and Christian Fedko, ECU’s Bryant Packard, Chris Holba and Alec Burleson and USF’s David Villar each picked up awards.
Bryant Packard * ECU * OF *
First Team (ABCA, Baseball America, Perfect Game, NCBWA) | Second Team (Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com)
Packard earned first team All-America honors from Baseball America and made the second team All-America list for Collegiate Baseball. A semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and 2018 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Packard helped the Pirates to the 2018 AAC Baseball Championship and the top seed in the Greenville Regional, which begins Friday June 1. The sophomore leads the club in nine offensive categories including batting average (.403), where he is seventh nationally. He also leads the conference in slugging percentage (.680), on-base percentage (.460), hits (83) and total bases (140), while ranking top 10 in home runs (14), RBIs (50) runs (47) and doubles (15).
Mason Feole * UConn * LHP *
First Team (Collegiate Baseball) | Third Team (ABCA, Baseball America, Perfect Game)
Feole collected more hardware after being named first team All-Conference , earning first team and third team All-America nods from Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, respectively. Feole has gone 9-1 with a team-low 2.50 ERA in 2018. In 93.2 innings, the southpaw has racked up 114 strikeouts, becoming the fifth UConn pitcher to hit the century mark in a single-season in the past four years. Feole ranks in the top five in The American in ERA, wins, innings pitched (93.2), strikeouts and pick offs (4).
Alec Bohm * Wichita State * 3B *
Second Team (ABCA, Baseball America) | Third Team (D1Baseball.com, NCBWA) | Honorable Mention (Perfect Game)
Bohm collected second team All-America honors by Baseball America. Bohm hit .339 with 57 runs, 76 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 55 RBI, 39 walks and nine stolen bases in 2018. His 24 multiple-hit games and 10 go-ahead RBI led the Shockers in 2018. His 16 home runs, 57 runs scored and 140 total bases lead the conference. He also set a school record with three grand slams in a season. He is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award and earned second team all-conference honors in Wichita State's first season in the American Athletic Conference.
David Villar * USF * 3B *
Third Team (Collegiate Baseball)
Villar, who was named first team All-Conference, was placed on Collegiate Baseball’s third team All-America list. He leads the Bulls’ offense that finished second in the country during the regular season with 142 doubles and first in the conference in batting average (.299), hits (581) and slugging (.469). Villar ranks top five in the conference in batting average (.379), hits (78), runs scored (52), doubles (24), RBIs (55), total bases (138), on base percentage (.473) and slugging percentage (.670).
Alec Burleson * ECU * LHP *
Freshman (Collegiate Baseball)
Burleson, who was the unanimous American Athletic Conference Freshman Pitcher-of-the-Year selection, appeared in 19 games making eight starts during his rookie season. The left-hander posted a 5-2 record with four saves, sported a 3.33 ERA and struck out 49 batters while walking 16 in 54.0 innings. Off the mound, he split time between first base and the designated hitter, where he batted .252 (26-for-103) with three doubles, 18 RBI and 13 runs scored.
Liam Eddy * Wichita State * RHP *
Freshman (Collegiate Baseball)
Eddy led the Shockers with seven wins and held a 3.84 ERA through 15 appearances and 65.2 innings pitched. He collected 48 strikeouts, making 12 starts on the year.
Christian Fedko * UConn * OF *
Freshman (Collegiate Baseball)
Fedko, The American's Rookie Position Player of the Year, played a key role in the Huskies' lineup, leading the team with 15 doubles. He recorded 48 hits, 21 runs scored and 32 RBIs, holding a .309 on-base percentage in 2018. His first-career home run came in the eighth inning of a 6-5 NCAA regional game win against top-seeded Coastal Carolina, as the rookie hit a solo shot for the game winner.
Chris Holba * ECU * RHP *
Third Team (NCBWA)
Holba held the sixth-lowest ERA in the league at 2.99 in 2018, starting off the year with nine-straight wins. The junior righthander finished the season tied for the conference lead with a 9-1 record through 15 appearances and 81.1 innings pitched. An 11th-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft and a Golden Spikes Watch List candidate, he combined on a pair of shutouts, sported a .900 winning percentage and tallied eight quality starts to lead the Pirates.
P.J. Poulin * UConn * LHP *
Third Team (ABCA)
Poulin led the conference with 16 saves through 30 appearances out of the bullpen this season, which ended the year tied for third in the nation. He made a his first start of the year in an NCAA regional, tossing six innings. The second team all-conference lefthander held a 6-2 record with a 3.26 ERA, fanning 60 batters through 49.2 innings pitched.
Isaac Feldstein * UConn * OF
Third Team (Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic)
Feldstein held a 3.90 GPA, while excelling on the field by leading his team with 14 home runs, 45 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .556 and scored a team-high 46 runs. His 14 homers ended the year tied for third in the league.