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 Kenny Smith was today named to the second team ABCA All-Atlantic Region |
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June 20, 2007
2007 ABCA All-Atlantic Region Teams
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Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina senior second baseman Kenny Smith was today named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Atlantic Region second team, adding to his list of accolades from the 2007 season. Smith, who was the consensus Southern Conference Player of the Year as well as a second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper this season, was one of six players from the league listed among the 26-member honorary squads.
At second base, Smith was behind Florida State's Tony Thomas, Jr., who was named ABCA All-American at the position.
Smith's selection marks the 35th time a Catamount has been recognized by the association as all-region with 21 coming as second-team recognitions. He is also the fifth different player who has combined for six awards under WCU head coach Todd Raleigh.
Eight former WCU players - Wayne Tolleson, Keith Ebersole, Clint Fairey, Matt Raleigh, Phillip Grundy, Jason Beverlin, Alex Tolbert and Steven Strausbaugh - were recognized twice in their collegiate careers with Strausbaugh being the most recent honoree after garnering the second team nod in both 2005 and '06.
Smith opened his professional playing career on Tuesday with the Spokane (Wash.) Indians of the Northwest League by going 1-for-4. He was on base twice as he reached on an error in the bottom of the first and tallied his first professional base hit in the bottom of the third on a one-out ground ball single through the right side.
The Asheville, N.C., native helped lead Western (42-20) to its sixth 40-win season all time by becoming the 13th-different Catamount win the school's Triple Crown leading the team in batting average (.390), runs batted in (84) and home runs (20). His 84 RBI not only led the conference but also tied a school-record now shared with Chris Moore (1999), who was also a second team ABCA All-Region selection in `99.
In addition to earning first team All-SoCon honors by both the coaches and media, Smith was also named to the NCAA Baseball Championship Chapel Hill Regional All-tournament team.
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