Three Cardinals Named to ABCA All-South Region First Team
June 30, 2010 | Baseball
June 30, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Louisville baseball's Neil Holland, Thomas Royse and Ryan Wright were named First Team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Tuesday giving the Cardinals the most First Team selections of any team in the region.
Joining Louisville with three total All-South Region selections were Auburn and Arkansas, which finished with two First Team selections each.
Holland, a right-handed pitcher from Owensboro, Ky., finished the season ranked second in the nation with 17 saves to go along with an 8-1 record. In 56.1 innings of relief this season, the First Team All-BIG EAST selection had a 2.08 ERA and 59 strikeouts while opposing batters hit just .160 against him. Holland, who was also named a First Team All-American by the NCBWA, a Third Team All-American by Baseball America and a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, was selected in the 11th Round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Washington Nationals.
Royse, a native of Lexington, Ky., was also the 2010 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American this season. The righty finished with a 9-1 record overall to go along with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched as the Cardinals' Friday night starter this season. His single season strikeout total is the third highest in school history, while his single season innings total ranks seventh all-time at U of L. His career ERA of 3.48 ranks sixth all-time at Louisville.
Wright, who was also named a Second Team All-American by Baseball America and was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection, led the Cardinals with 80 RBI this season and ranking second on the team with a .366 average and 16 home runs. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native was also 10-of-11 on stolen bases and committed just three errors as the Cardinals' everyday second baseman. Wright will participate in the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Trials next month.
The Louisville baseball team, which set a new school record for wins with a 50-14 record overall in 2010, closed the season by advancing to a fourth straight NCAA Regional and winning a second straight BIG EAST Conference regular season championship.
