Wood And Roller Named Ping All-Americans
June 09, 2009 | Baseball
June 9, 2009
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina second baseman Ryan Wood and designated hitter Kyle Roller continued to collect post-season honors when they were named First-Team All-America by Ping!Baseball this week.
For Wood it is his second all-america designation following his third-team selection by the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseballpublication on May 28.
The senior infielder, who was named First-Team All Conference USA and 2009 NCAA Greenville Regional All-Tournament Team, led the ECU with a .379 batting average and became the third Pirate to collect 100 hits in a season joining current teammate Trent Whitehead (105 in 2009) and former all-american Darryl Lawhorn (104 in 2002).
Wood also set career-highs in runs (87), doubles (22), home runs (14), RBIs (57) and walks. Against in-state rival UNC Wilmington, the Woodbridge, Va. native became the fourth Pirate since 1999 to hit for cycle in ECU's 12-5 and was named to the College Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports National All-Star Lineup on May 19.
During his senior season, Wood became ECU's all-time leader in runs scored (225) and walks (151), while ranking among the all-time top 10 in games played (237), games started (226), at-bats (869), hits (285), RBIs (154), doubles (48), home runs (35), total bases (442) and assists (655).
Just like Wood, Roller also had a career-season setting career-highs in average (.336), games played (66), runs (63), hits (86), doubles (12), home runs (16), RBIs (75), walks (32) and hit by pitches (24). The first-team All C-USA selection currently ranks among ECU's all-time leaders in hit by pitches, home runs, slugging percentage, RBIs, on-base percentage and total bases.
The Rockingham, N.C. native earned C-USA Hitter-of-the-Week honors on March 23 when he helped the Pirates to one of the most productive offensive weeks in league and school history from March 17-22. He batted .551 (13-for-22) with four home runs, 15 RBI, two walks and was hit five times in the Pirates perfect 5-0 week. Of his four home runs, three came in league play, he scored 11 runs including tying a career-high with four against UCF in the series opener and posted four multi-hit and multi-RBI games.
Roller was also named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Pro-Line Athletic National Player-of-the-Week as well as being named to the Collegiate Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports National All-Star Lineup and the Central Player-of-the-Week from Collegebaseballinsider.com.
With their selections, Wood and Roller join freshman Kevin Brandt as all-america honorees during 2009. Brandt was named Freshman All-America by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball last week.
2009 ECU All-America Honors
