Jim Negrych Named Preseason All-America by NCBWA
11/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jim Negrych Named Preseason All-America by NCBWA
11/18/2004
Jim Negrych |
PITTSBURGH
A committee of NCBWA officers and board members chose the 2005 edition after receiving over 300 nominees.
Negrych (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis), who earned All-America honors last year from Baseball America and Louisville Slugger, was the 2004 Big East Rookie of the Year after leading the Panthers to a 38-18 record. A second-team All-Big East selection, Negrych finished among the conference?s leaders in numerous categories and became Pittsburgh?s first Freshman All-American.
A starter in 55 of the Panthers? 56 games last year, he tied the single-season school record for hits (76) and broke the mark for doubles (20). The team?s top hitter with a .378 batting average, Negrych also led Pittsburgh in on-base percentage (.464), multiple-hit games (22) and walks (33).
This past summer, Negrych was named the Co-Most Valuable Player in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) as well as its Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year while playing for the Keene Swamp Bats. Negrych, a mid-season all-star selection, also was selected to the NECBL first team and was named the fifth-best prospect in the league. He batted .354 while leading the league in home runs (nine), RBIs (39), total bases (90) and slugging percentage (.625). Negrych also added 14 stolen bases while leading Keene to the regular-season Northern Division championship and the divisional championship series.
Pittsburgh opens its 2005 season at the Coastal Carolina Tournament on Feb. 25-27.