Zych, Wright Named Preseason All-Americans by Baseball America
February 04, 2011 | Baseball
Feb. 4, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville junior right-handed pitcher Tony Zych was named preseason First Team All-America by Baseball America on Friday, while junior second baseman Ryan Wright earned Third Team All-America honors from the magazine.
It was the second preseason All-America honor for Zych, who was also named Third Team Louisville Slugger All-America by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. The Monee, Ill., native was 5-2 with a 5.13 ERA as a sophomore last season, while in 2009, he earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors for the Cardinals. Last summer, Zych was presented the Russ Ford Award as the Cape Cod League's Outstanding Relief Pitcher and also earned the Robert A. McNeece Award as the Outstanding Pro Prospect, two of the most prestigious honors the league has to offer. A 2010 Cape Cod League All-Star, Zych was also named to the Cape Cod Baseball All-League Team after collecting a league-leading 12 saves with a 0.89 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 20.1 innings of relief for the Bourne Braves.
 Louisville junior 2B Ryan Wright  | |
For Wright, it was the third preseason All-America honor after being named Second Team Louisville Slugger All-America by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and Second Team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Wright hit .366 with 16 home runs and 80 RBI to earn Second Team All-America (Baseball America) and First Team All-BIG EAST honors in 2010. In two seasons as a Cardinal, Wright has a .350 career batting average with 21 home runs and 146 RBI in 126 games. A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2009, Wright followed his sophomore season with an impressive summer for the 2010 USA Collegiate National Team hitting .361 overall with 18 runs scored, two home runs and 12 RBI in 19 games. He was also named the top designated hitter at the 2010 World University Baseball Championships.
Last season, the Cardinals won their second straight BIG EAST regular season championship, finished a school record 50 wins and earned the program's first ever selection as a national seed for the NCAA Championship. Louisville also hosted an NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium for the second straight season and closed last season ranked as high at No. 16 overall.
No. 20 ranked Louisville will open the 2011 season at the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Feb. 18-20. The Cardinals' home schedule will begin with a three-game series against Toledo on Feb. 25-27 at Jim Patterson Stadium.
