BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Mississippi State baseball team placed three players on the 2011 All-Southeastern Conference baseball teams, while the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama each placed a player on the second team, the league announced Tuesday.
MSU junior pitcher Caleb Reed, of Cleveland, was named to the All-SEC second team, while the league coaches named MSU outfielder C.T. Bradford and shortstop Adam Frazier to the SEC All-Freshman unit.
Ole Miss sophomore second baseman Alex Yarbrough and Alabama junior center fielder Taylor Dugas were named second-team All-SEC. Dugas also was selected to the SEC All-Defensive Team as one of the top defensive outfielders in the conference.
The team was selected in a vote of SEC head baseball coaches, who weren”t permitted to vote for their players.
In 25 relief appearances and 51 innings, Reed has posted a 1.41 ERA and has 11 saves (third-most in the SEC), with seven of those in league competition. Reed also was named to the 2011 SEC Baseball Community Service Team
Bradford, the son of former Mississippi State third baseman Mike Bradford (1982-83), is hitting .292 and is second on the club with 62 hits and fifth with 29 RBIs. He is the only Bulldog player to have played in all 55 games this season.
Frazier has started 17 of his 35 games, and is hitting .250. He has a .973 fielding percentage.
Reed is the first Bulldog pitcher to earn All-SEC honors since 2003 (Paul Maholm), while Bradford and Frazier are the fourth and fifth Diamond Dogs to earn SEC All-Freshman team honors, and the first duo to represent MSU on the listing in one season.
Yarbrough started all 55 games this season and paced the offense, hitting .350 with a team-leading 24 extra-base hits (14 doubles, three triples, seven home runs). He also led the Rebels in multiple-hit games (24) and multiple-RBI games (11).
Dugas hit .343 average and started all 56 games in center field for the Crimson Tide. He finished second on the team in hitting in the regular season, and led the club during SEC play (.317). He had team-highs in home runs (five), triples (four), and doubles (19), giving him a club leading .540 slugging percentage. Additionally, his 38 walks also led the team, helping him to a team-best .453 on-base percentage.
Dugas also earned his first selection to the SEC All-Defensive team. He finished the season with a .986 fielding percentage, making just two errors in 145 chances.
Ole Miss senior outfielder Matt Smith also was named to the SEC Community Service Team.
University of Florida catcher Mike Zunino was named SEC Player of the Year and Vanderbilt”s Grayson Garvin is the top pitcher.
SEC coaches picked Vanderbilt outfielder Tony Kemp as freshman of the year.
South Carolina”s Ray Tanner was picked as coach of the year. James McCann of Arkansas is the SEC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Associated Press reports were included in this story.
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