Ball State starting pitcher Kolbrin Vitek was named to Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team, the program announced Tuesday.
College Baseball selected 99 players to the team. which honored the top freshmen in the country. Vitek was one of three players selected from the Mid-American Conference, and he was one of three players named to the team as a "multiple-position athlete."
Vitek, who was a starting pitcher and designated hitter for the Cardinals this season, said he was grateful for the recognition.
"It's a big honor for me," he said.
Vitek said he never thought of receiving such a prestigious award during the season.
"Before the season started, my main goal was to get a spot in the starting rotation," he said.
The Cardinals won 11 of the 13 games he started this season. He factored into seven of those decisions, finishing with a 6-1 record along with a 5.65 ERA. He also led the team with 69 strikeouts, an average of 9.51 strikeouts per outing, and walked 19 batters all season.
Along with his 13 starts on the mound, Vitek played 31 games as the team's designated hitter. He ended the season with a .305 batting average, along with five home runs and 24 RBIs, four doubles and three trips.
Ball State baseball coach Greg Beals said he thought that the freshman deserved the postseason accolades.
"I'm very proud of his accomplishments," Beals said. "He was a key player because of his pitching and hitting."
Beals knew Vitek would be a part of the team from both sides of the plate before the season started.
"We recruited him as a two-way player, to do both - hitting and pitching," Beals said, "But when he got to campus I was pleasantly surprised by how he swung the bat."
Beals said he was impressed with Vitek's play in the MAC tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio. Vitek started the second game, which turned out to be Ball State's only win in the tournament.
"He did quite a bit during the tournament," Beals said.
Vitek hit his fifth home run of the season in the Cardinals' final game of the tournament against Northern Illinois.
Vitek is the 10th Ball State player ever to be selected to a Freshman All-America team.
The team finished the season with a 28-25 record and placed third in the MAC West season-ending standings with a league record of 12-11.
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