Three Sun Devils named All-Americans by the NCBWA

June 11, 2009

Three Arizona State University baseball players were named to the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America All-American Team, it was announced today. Junior right-handed pitcher <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/leake_mike00.html">Mike Leake</a> and junior outfielder <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/kipnis_jason00.html">J… Kipnis</a> were selected to the First Team, while junior catcher <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ramirez_carlos00.html"… Ramirez</a> was named to the Third Team.<separator></separator>Leake earned All-American honors from the NCBWA for the second consecutive season, after he was a Third Team selection in 2008. He is 16-1 with a 1.36 ERA and 150 strikeouts on the season, earning Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year. Leake, who was also named Academic All-American of the Year and a First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, has 40 career wins at ASU, tying him with College Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Bane for the third most in school history.<separator></separator>Kipnis leads the team with a .385 batting average, 85 hits, 48 walks and 26 stolen bases, and he ranks second with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. He was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and, like Leake, he was also named a First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.<separator></separator>Ramirez, who has started every game at catcher for the Sun Devils this season, is hitting .349 and he leads the team with 18 home runs and 72 RBI.