TUCSON, Ariz. - The accolades continue to roll in for Richmond baseball's Zak Sterling, who was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team on Wednesday afternoon. Sterling is the ninth player in program history to earn the honor and the first since Adam McConnell in 2009.
"We are extremely happy to see Zak get recognized on a national level," Richmond head baseball coach Mark McQueen remarked. "To be thrust in to the weekend rotation as a freshman and perform so well on a consistent basis was truly remarkable."
Along with being named a Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American, Sterling became just the second player in Richmond baseball history to be named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. The Salisbury, Md. native was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team.
On the year, Sterling posted a 7-1 record to go with an ERA of 2.57 - the second best in the conference. The freshman left-hander's most impressive stat might have been his batting average against. Sterling led the Atlantic 10 in the category, limiting opponents to hit just .181 against him in 2012. In 77 innings pitched this year, Sterling struck out 59 batters while surrendering just 49 hits. In league action, Sterling was even better, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.77 ERA.
Sterling's best start of the season came when it mattered most - in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Going against the No. 1-seeded Saint Louis Billikens, Sterling tossed a four-hit shutout, leading the Spiders to a 6-0 victory. In his complete-game effort, Sterling struck out four batters in winning his seventh game of the season.
For all the latest news on Richmond Spider baseball, be sure to go RichmondSpiders.com or follow the team on Twitter - @SpiderBaseball.
