Jurich Earns Preseason All-American Honors
November 14, 2002 | Baseball
Nov. 14, 2002
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - University of Louisville outfielder Mark Jurich was one of five Conference USA players named to the fourth annual preseason All-America college baseball team as voted upon by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). East Carolina 1B/DH Darryl Lawhorn, Tulane P/OF Michael Aubrey, Houston RHP Brad Sullivan and TCU OF Terry Trofholz join Jurich on the squad.
Jurich, a junior from Louisville became the first Cardinal player since 1992 to earn All-American postseason honors last spring, and has earned a spot on the NCBWA 2003 Preseason All-American third team. Jurich spent much of the 2002 campaign batting over .400 before finishing with a .365 average with 15 doubles, 16 home runs and 60 RBI. The 16 home runs were the most by a Cardinal player since 1995 as he helped U of L to its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance. Jurich joined Aubrey and Sullivan as a member of the U.S. National Team, batting .271 with two home runs and 11 RBI, including a .333 average with a home run and seven RBI in the seven game FISU Tournament.
The Cardinals return 13 letterwinners from last season's squad, which set a school record for wins, going 39-18 with a 21-9 mark in C-USA play.
Tulane pitcher/outfielder Michael Aubrey was named to the first team as a utility player for the second straight season. Aubrey is coming off a solid sophomore season with the Green Wave where he hit .316 with seven home runs and 52 RBI despite battling a nagging back injury throughout most of the year. From the mound, Aubrey went 8-1 with a 4.45 ERA while striking out 36 in 60.2 innings of work.
The versatile standout was honored by USA Baseball as the Team USA Athlete of the Year after helping the U.S. National Team to a silver medal at the inaugural FISU World University Baseball Championships. He led that squad in the triple crown categories, becoming the first player in Team USA history to bat .400 with wooden bats. In addition to leading the squad with a .405 batting average, he led the National Team in hits (45), home runs (6), RBI (26) and runs scored (25).
Sullivan, who was the first consensus All-American in both UH and Conference USA history a year ago, was one of four starting pitchers named to the First Team. A year ago, Sullivan compiled a 13-1 record with a 1.82 ERA and led the nation with a UH single-season record 157 strikeouts.
The junior righthander continued his dominance in the summer as a member of Team USA. He posted a 7-0 record in the off-season with a paltry 0.72 ERA and 50 strikeouts in only 50.1 innings of work. He collected two wins, including a one-hitter in the series finale, during the USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series on the way to being named the series Most Valuable Player. He was recognized as the Summer National Player of the Year by Baseball America magazine in late August.
Lawhorn, a first team All-Conference USA selection and the league's C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2002, also earned a spot on the NCBWA first team as a designated hitter. He finished his rookie campaign with a .416 batting average, 19 home runs and 68 RBI, while establishing ECU single season records for hits (104) and total bases (179). Lawhorn became the first player in school history to collect 100 hits during a season and earned co-National Freshman of the Year honors from one publication.
Trofolz, a second team selection, shattered the C-USA record for batting average, hitting .441 on the year, 14 points better than Goefrey Tomlinson's .427 average in 1997. His batting average was the second-highest in school history and he tied TCU's single-season record with 94 hits. Trofholz led the Horned Frogs in on-base percentage (.481), total bases (121), runs (51), sacrifice hits (12) and stolen bases (22). He hit safely in 47 games this season. He was also honored for his defensive prowess by earning a spot on the 2002 Easton/Redline All-Defensive Team.
Conference USA's eighth baseball season gets underway this February. The conference tournament is scheduled for May 21-25 in New Orleans. C-USA is coming off its most successful season, with five teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament, the second-most of any Division I conference.
Release courtesy of Conference USA
