Baseball America Preseason All-American Teams
FULLERTON, Calif. – Right-handed pitcher Thomas Eshelman was named to the Baseball America Preseason All-America Third Team, the publication announced Monday.
The honor was Eshelman's third of the preseason as he has previously been named to the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America First Team as selected by Collegiate Baseball in December and then earned a Second-Team All-American nod from Perfect Game.
Eshelman was named to the Baseball America All-America Second Team in 2014, marking the second straight season he made the squad after receiving a First Team selection in 2013 as a freshman.
The Titans Friday-night starter since his freshman season, Eshelman returns to Fullerton for his junior season and has compiled a 20-6 record with a 1.69 ERA. He's tallied 182 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 32 starts and 239 and 1/3 innings pitched, tossing seven complete games including two shutouts.
As a sophomore in 2014, Eshelman went 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA and set a new career best with 99 strikeouts after fanning 83 batters as a freshman. He ranked first in the Big West and 10th in the nation with five complete games and posted a 0.87 WHIP, which placed him 12th overall in the nation. Eshelman also led the country with a 0.58 walks allowed per nine innings average along with a 12.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Eshelman pitched a 10-inning complete-game shutout on Apr. 25, a feat that garnered him four player-of-the-week honors. Eshelman was named one of the Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and the National Pitcher of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The Carlsbad, Calif. native also received recognition from the NCAA as one of the top performers of the week and also received Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors.
The Titans, who have received four preseason Top-25 rankings so far, begin the season Feb. 13 at the Clearwater Tournament hosted by South Florida at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. Fullerton is slated to open the tournament against the host Bulls followed by Alabama State on Feb. 14 and then a top-25 showdown against No. 12 Louisville on Feb. 15 to conclude the weekend.
This season, Fullerton plays 26 home games and seven weekend series' at Goodwin Field. Tickets are currently on sale.
