Four Frogs Add To Preseason Honors
12/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 17, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas - A quartet of Horned Frogs added to their preseason accolades as Matt Purke, Kyle Winkler, Steven Maxwell and Jason Coats were named preseason All-Americans by Louisville Slugger. Purke was tabbed as the projected National Player of the Year.
Purke was a first-team selection, while Winkler and Maxwell found a spot on the second-team. Coats rounded out the four with a spot on the third-team.
Purke led the nation in 2010 with a perfect 16-0 record. The consensus National Freshman of the Year fanned a team-high 142 batters in 116 1/3 innings pitched. He limited opponents to a .212 batting average against and posted a 3.02 ERA in 20 appearances.
The 2010 Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, Maxwell was a second-team All-American a year ago. He paced the starting rotation with a 2.70 ERA in 18 starts in 2010. He struck out 93 batters in 103 1/3 innings of work while posting an 11-2 record. Maxwell combined to shut out four opponents and held them to a .239 batting average against.
Winkler had an equally impressive campaign in 2010 after posting a 12-3 record in a school-record 19 starts. He led the pitching staff with 116 2/3 innings pitched and struck out 92 batters. Winkler also tossed a team-high two complete games en route to earning all-conference accolades.
Coats led the Frogs with a .361 batting average in 67 games played. Of his school-record 99 hits on the season, Coats racked up 23 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs. He paced the team with 69 RBIs and 68 runs scored. He was successful on eight out of 10 stolen base attempts.
The 2011 season kicks off Feb. 18 when the Horned Frogs host Kansas. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Lupton Stadium.
