Spence selected as National Newcomer of the Year, Leake and Kipnis named All-Americans by Rivals.com

Three members of the Arizona State University baseball team earned national honors from Rivals.com, the website announced today. Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Spence was named the National Newcomer of the Year, while junior right-handed pitcher Mike Leake and junior outfielder Jason Kipnis were both All-American selections.

Spence (Victoria, Australia), a transfer from Central Arizona College, is 9-1 with a 2.33 ERA and 109 strikeouts in his first season of Division I baseball. After missing nearly a month due to injury, Spence returned in the final week of the regular season, and he threw a complete game in Game Two of the Tempe Super Regional against Clemson to lead ASU to victory and a berth in the College World Series.

Leake (Fallbrook, Calif.), who has also been named a First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA, is 16-1 with a 1.36 ERA and 150 strikeouts on the season so far. He was selected the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season, and he was named Academic All-American of the Year last month. Leake has 40 career victories at ASU, tied with Eddie Bane for the third most in school history.

Kipnis (Northbrook, Ill.) leads the Sun Devils with a .385 batting average, 26 stolen bases, 48 walks and 85 hits, and he ranks second with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. He was a First Team All-American selection by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA, and he was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year.

The Sun Devils open play in the 2009 College World Series against North Carolina on Sunday from Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Arizona with ESPN televising the game.