DURHAM, N.C. - Jacksonville State's
Todd Cunningham has been named to the Baseball America's preseason All-America first-team, which was released on Friday.
Cunningham was the only player selected from the Ohio Valley Conference and becomes just the second player in OVC history to earn first-team preseason honors by Baseball America.
Cunningham, a native of Jacksonville, led the prestigious Cape Cod League with a .378 batting average after playing for the Falmouth Commodores. He also led the league in hits (59) and on-base percentage (.458) after winning the batting title by 36 points.
The junior outfielder was second in the Cape in runs scored (31) and slugging percentage (.500), while posting 12 extra-base hits with 22 RBI and also drew 19 walks to post a .458 on-base percentage.
Cunningham hit a scorching .427 in July to earn the Cape Cod Player of the Month award. He was also selected to play in the Cape Cod All-Star Game, where his diving catch in centerfield was named as one of the Top 10 plays on ESPN's SportsCenter on July 23rd.
The rising junior won the Thurmon Munson Batting Championship for the Cape, which includes previous winners such as Jason Varitek (1993), Chuck Knoblauch (1988), Paul O'Neill (1975), Pete Rose (1974) and Thurman Munson (1967).
Along with winning the batting title, Cunningham also was voted the Cape Cod League's Outstanding Pro Prospect by the Major League Baseball scouts.
As a sophomore at Jacksonville State last season, Cunningham batted an impressive .339, scored a team-high 66 runs, tied for the team lead in home runs (10), tied for second in stolen bases (9) and led the team in triples with nine. His two years at Jacksonville State have been highlighted by a long list of awards as a freshman, including Freshman All-America, Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Freshman of the Year, and All-OVC Second Team.
Baseball America annually polls major league scouting directors to vote on the team and make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. In the past, the preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success.
For example, 11 of the 15 college players drafted in the first round last June appeared on Baseball America's preseason All-America list—eight of them on the first team. And for the second year in a row, 11 of last year's preseason All-Americans played for teams that reached the College World Series.
Jacksonville State opens the 2010 baseball season at the Texas Tech Red Raider Classic on Feb. 19-21.
Baseball America Preseason All-America Teams
First Team
Pos. Player, School
C Micah Gibbs, Louisiana State
1B Hunter Morris, Auburn
2B Ross Wilson, Alabama
3B Anthony Rendon, Rice
SS Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton
OF Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee State
OF Todd Cunningham, Jacksonville State
OF Jarrett Parker, Virginia
DH Zack Cox, Arkansas
UT Brett Eibner, Arkansas
SP Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech
SP Drew Pomeranz, Mississippi
SP Anthony Ranaudo, Louisiana State
SP Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast
RP Kevin Jacob, Georgia Tech
UT Brett Eibner, Arkansas
Second Team
Pos. Player, School
C Yasmani Grandal, Miami
1B Andy Wilkins, Arkansas
2B Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State
3B Tony Thompson, Kansas
SS Rick Hague, Rice
OF Gary Brown, Cal State Fullerton
OF Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington
OF Tyler Holt, Florida State
DH Mickey Wiswall, Boston College
UT Danny Hultzen, Virginia
SP Gerrit Cole, UCLA
SP Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt
SP Taylor Jungmann, Texas
SP Alex Wimmers, Ohio State
RP Kevin Rhoderick, Oregon State
UT Danny Hultzen, Virginia
Third Team
Pos. Player, School
C Cameron Rupp, Texas
1B Cody Hawn, Tennessee
2B Chris Bisson, Kentucky
3B Rob Segedin, Tulane
SS B.A. Vollmuth, Southern Mississippi
OF Ryan LaMarre, Michigan
OF Leon Landry, Louisiana State
OF Austin Wates, Virginia Tech
DH Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia
UT Mike McGee, Florida State
SP Jack Armstrong, Vanderbilt
SP Kyle Blair, San Diego
SP Jesse Hahn, Virginia Tech
SP Brandon Workman, Texas
RP Addison Reed, San Diego State
UT Mike McGee, Florida State
