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College  | Story | 7/7/2011

PG Freshman All-Americans

Kendall Rogers

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North Carolina’s Colin Moran and Florida’s Karsten Whitson have many things in common.

Both were talented freshmen that entered college with high expectations, Whitson certainly on the higher end of the scale after turning down millions last summer to attend Florida.

Moran put together a magical offensive campaign and helped lead the Tar Heels to the College World Series. The same can be said for Whitson, who compiled some impressive numbers in his first SEC season, and helped lead the Gators to the national title series against South Carolina.

The talented freshman duo spearheads the nation in the offense and pitching categories, respectively, but plenty of others also deserve recognition.

We unveil the 2011 crop of Perfect Game Freshman All-Americans, including our awards for National Freshman Pitcher and Player of the Year.


PG National Freshman Pitcher of the Year: RHP Karsten Whitson, Florida
PG National Freshman Player of the Year: 3B Colin Moran, North Carolina

C Jared Bales
School: Southern Mississippi
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 225
Hometown.: Picayune, Miss.
High school: Picayune
It wasn’t an incredibly deep year at the catcher position in this freshman class, but Bales put together a solid campaign. He batted .281 with nine doubles, two home runs and 20 RBIs. He also slugged .405 and had a respectable .408 OBP.
1B Dominic Ficociello
School: Arkansas
Ht.: 6-4, Wt.: 185
Hometown.: Fullerton, Calif.
High school: Fullerton Union
The future is bright for the Razorbacks with Ficociello and others leading the way. Dominic led the Hogs at the plate this season, hitting .335 with 15 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 50 RBIs. He also slugged .464 and recorded 104 total bases.
2B JaCoby Jones
School: LSU
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 192
Hometown.: Richton, Miss.
High school: Richton
The Tigers as a whole might’ve had a campaign to forget, but Jones burst onto the scene as a freshman this past season. He batted .338 (third-best on the team) with 11 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 32 RBIs. He also had a .467 slugging percentage and was 12-for-20 in stolen bases. In the field, Jones made just eight errors to finish with a .962 percentage.
SS Luke Tendler
School: North Carolina A&T
Ht.: 5-11, Wt.: 181
Hometown.: Wilmington, N.C.
High school: Laney
Tendler put together an impressive offensive campaign in his first season with the Aggies. He batted a team-best .380 with 20 doubles, five triples, six home runs and 53 RBIs. He also slugged .606 and had a .404 OBP. Additionally, he finished second on the team with 129 total bases.
3B Colin Moran
School: North Carolina
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 180
Hometown.: Rye, N.Y.
High school: Iona Prep
Moran couldn’t have had a much more impressive freshman campaign. He batted a team-best .335 with 20 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 71 RBIs. He also slugged .540 and had a solid .442 OBP. Additionally, Moran struck out 33 times and walked on 47 occasions, while also having a respectable campaign in the field.
OF Tony Kemp
School: Vanderbilt
Ht.: 5-6, Wt.: 160
Hometown.: Nashville, Tenn.
High school: Centennial
What an electric player Kemp was for the Commodores this season. He batted .329 with eight doubles, seven triples and 34 RBIs. He also slugged .417 and had a .434 OBP. Additionally, Kemp walked 37 times and struck out on just 32 occasions, while also going 17-for-22 in stolen bases. Kemp also was a sensational defensive outfielder for the ‘Dores.
OF Daniel Aldrich
School: College of Charleston
Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 210
Hometown.: Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
High school: Wando
The Cougars have a strong history of putting out elite hitters and Aldrich carries on that tradition. The freshman hit a team-best .347 with 17 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs and 73 RBIs. He also slugged .739 and had a .399 OBP. Aldrich led the Cougars with 164 total bases and solidified himself as one of the nation’s elite power hitters.
OF Kyle Wren
School: Georgia Tech
Ht.: 5-9, Wt.: 158
Hometown.: Peachtree City, Ga.
High school: Landmark Christian
The Yellow Jackets had several young players rise to the occasion and Wren was one of them. He finished third on the team in hitting with a .340 average, 11 doubles, seven triples, a home run and 32 RBIs. He also slugged .445 and had a .412 OBP. Additionally, Wren struck out 32 times and walked on 30 occasions, while going 16-for-23 in stolen bases.
DH Erich Weiss
School: Texas
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 180
Hometown.: Brenham, Texas
High school: Brenham
Weiss had an impressive first campaign for the Longhorns. He batted a team-best .348 with 12 doubles, seven triples, four home runs and 45 RBIs. He also slugged .518 and had a fantastic .483 OBP. Additionally, Weiss walked 53 times and struck out on just 37 occasions, while also putting together a solid defensive campaign.
UT Marco Gonzales
School: Gonzaga
Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 185
Hometown.: Fort Collins, Colo.
High school: Fort Collins
Gonzales certainly had an impressive campaign for the Bulldogs. At the plate, he batted .291 with 10 doubles and 14 RBIs. He also had a respectable .403 OBP. On the mound, Gonzales was an excellent starting pitcher. He made 15 starts and compiled an 11-2 record and a 2.57 ERA in 105 innings. He also struck out 90 and walked 21
SP Kent Emanuel
School: North Carolina
Ht.: 6-4, Wt.: 205
Hometown.: Woodstock, Ga.
High school: Woodstock
The Tar Heels surprised everyone this season with Emanuel and others leading the charge. Emanuel had a huge season on the mound, going 9-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 104 1/3 innings. He also struck out 89 and walked 23 while opponents hit him at a .246 clip. The left-hander made 16 starts this past season and threw a pair of complete games.
SP Karsten Whitson
School: Florida
Ht.: 6-4, Wt.: 215
Hometown.: Chipley, Fla.
High school: Chipley
The Gators had a very memorable campaign with Whitson and others leading the way. Whitson turned down first-round money last summer to attend college. He lived up to expectations with the Gators, going 8-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 97 1/3 innings. He also struck out 92 and walked 28 and teams are hitting him at a .235 clip.
SP Austin Kubitza
School: Rice
Ht.: 6-5, Wt.: 202
Hometown.: Colleyville, Texas
High school: Heritage
The Owls couldn’t have asked for a much better campaign from the talented right-handed pitcher. Kubitza had a fantastic campaign for the Owls, going 6-5 with a 2.34 ERA in 100 innings. He struck out 102 and walked 24 and teams hit him at a low .251 clip. Kubitza tossed one complete game and allowed just two home runs.
SP Adam Plutko
School: UCLA
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 190
Hometown.: Glendora, Calif.
High school: Glendora
Though the Bruins were more known on the mound because of stud starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, the freshman right-hander also put together a fantastic campaign. He went 7-4 with a 2.01 ERA in 107 2/3 innings. He also struck out 92 and walked 24 and teams hit him at just a .193 clip. It’s also worth noting Plutko only allowed three home runs.
RP Corey Knebel
School: Texas
Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 195
Hometown.: Georgetown, Texas
High school: Georgetown
What an impressive inaugural campaign the freshman right-handed reliever put together for the Longhorns. He made 38 appearances this past season and recorded 19 saves. He also had a 1.13 ERA in 55 2/3 innings while teams hit him at just a .151 clip. Knebel struck out 61 and walked 12 in 2011.
RP Kyle Porter
School: California
Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 192
Hometown.: El Dorado Hills, Calif.
High school: Oakridge
Porter finished the season as a starter for the Golden Bears, but was a reliever for much of the campaign. He made 25 appearances and four starts and had a 1.89 ERA in 57 innings. He also struck out 57 and walked 15 and teams hit him at a .229 clip. Porter also earned two saves and allowed two home runs this past season.


Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org
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