•  2010 Pro-Line Athletic NCBWA Freshman All-America Teams
•  2010 Ping!Baseball Freshman All-America Teams

University of Evansville freshman shortstop Eric Stamets (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) garnered two more Freshman All-America honors on Monday, as he was named a 2010 Pro-Line Athletic First Team Freshman All-America selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and a second team Freshman All-American by Ping!Baseball.  Stamets received Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors last week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Stamets was one of 30 freshmen from across Division I baseball to earn 2010 Pro-Line Athletic NCBWA Freshman All-America honors, while being selected as the only first team choice at shortstop.  He was selected as one of two second team Ping!Baseball Freshman All-Americans alongside Dallas Baptist’s Austin Elkins, as they trailed only Arizona State’s Deven Marrero on the Freshman All-America teams.  Marrero was the second team choice behind Stamets in the voting of the NCBWA.

“I am extremely proud of Eric and glad to see him receiving the recognition that he has this summer,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “Eric worked extremely hard since day one this year to make himself into the player that he is right now, and as a coach, you love to see that hard work rewarded.  He always pushed to try and get better each and every day in practice, and it was fun to watch that hard work pay off this spring and for him to be honored for his hard work here in the summer.  Eric had a huge impact on our program this past year, and I only look forward to watching him play at UE over the next few years.

“Eric is definitely deserving of receiving Freshman All-America honors, and it is a tremendous honor for not only him, but also our program, for him to receive first team Freshman All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.  There are a lot of very good young shortstops across the country, and for Eric to be chosen as the best of the best, is a great honor.”

Stamets earned first team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors and was named the MVC Freshman of the Year this spring after being one of the nation’s leaders in stolen bases.  Stamets led all freshmen nationally in stolen bases at the Division I level this year with a school-record 43, while ranking among the overall national leaders all season long.

Stamets started all 59 games for UE at shortstop as a true freshman this spring, and he proceeded to hit .321 with 15 doubles, four home runs and 27 RBI, while leading the team and ranking fourth in the MVC with 57 runs scored.  Stamets was a constant at the top of the UE batting order, as he did not go back-to-back games without a base hit for the Purple Aces, while posting a .422 on-base percentage as UE’s lead-off man.

Stamets also shined defensively for the Purple Aces, posting a solid .962 fielding percentage while setting a new single-season school record for assists with 226.  Stamets finished the 2010 season leading the MVC in assists, as he dished out 57 more assists than any other player in the league.  He also helped key 54 of UE’s school-record and conference-leading 69 double plays this spring.

Stamets is the first Purple Ace to earn Freshman All-America honors from both the NCBWA and Ping!Baseball.  Overall, he is the ninth UE player to earn Freshman All-America honors, and is just the second to earn Freshman All-America honors from various publications.  Former UE pitcher Preston Larrison is the only other UE player to do so, earning Freshman All-America honors from both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball in 1999.