COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Junior first baseman Zach Stephens continues to rack up preseason awards, garnering a number of honors from CollegeBaseballInsider.com in its recent preseason OVC predictions and national awards.
Just one season removed from batting .368 and pounding 18 home runs, Stephens earned 2013 CollegeBaseballInsider.com Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America honorable mention. It marks the second preseason All-America honors to be awarded to Stephens this year, as he was also named to the preseason All-America third-team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA).
Stephens' ability to hit the ball led to him to being named as the one of the best pure hitters in the Ohio Valley Conference in a poll constructed from OVC coach responses. Stephens shared the title with Jordan Hankins of Austin Peay and Derek Gibson of Southeast Missouri.
He also earned a share of the preseason title as one of the league's biggest power threats. Also selected were Hankins and Bryan Soloman of Eastern Kentucky. Stephens was labled as "the hitter you least want to face" as well.
Stephens and the Golden Eagles (2-1) will return home for a three-game series against Niagara on Friday, Feb. 22. The first contest is scheduled for a 3 p.m. CST start followed by 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. first pitches on Saturday and Sunday, respectivley.
