June 30, 2009

Cullowhee, N.C. - Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Western Carolina infielder Ross Heffley, was today named to the Baseball America Freshman All-America team as selected and released by the staff of Baseball America. The Snellville, Ga., native was a second team selection on the prestigious first-year player honorary squad.

Heffley is the fourth different Catamount to garner Freshman All-America honors from baseball publications, and the first since Steven Strausbaugh earned the nod back in 2005 when he was a first team Baseball America selection. He also joins Phillip Grundy (1991) and Chris Moore (1996), both of which garnered the honor from Collegiate Baseball.

A combined 32 first-year players nationwide were represented, 16 divided evenly between the first and second teams. The Southeastern Conference placed the most players on the first team with three, while the Big West placed the most on both teams with four including three from Cal State Fullerton alone. All told, 15 different conferences were represented including 10 on the first team.

Heffley, who ranked seventh in the SoCon in batting average during the season at .391, had the highest batting average among the 32 top rookies recognized by Baseball America, while his WCU freshman-record 92 base hits ranked second among freshman best.

Holding a .400-or-better batting average until April 24, Heffley - who was also named to the inaugural 10-member SoCon All-Freshman team - opened his WCU career with a 13-game hitting streak which he improved to a career-best 14-game streak through the conclusion of the regular season and conference tournament. He finished the season with 48 runs scored and 51 RBI - third most on the team - legging out 18 doubles, two triples and having hit four home runs.

Heffley settled in at third in the Catamount batting order for 40 of his 54 games played through his rookie campaign, splitting time between left field and infield before settling at second base.