Ole Hotty Toddy
Fansided

Three Ole Miss baseball players pick up All-SEC honors

By John Luke McCord

Jun 21, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; Mississippi Rebels infielder Errol Robinson (6) hugs head coach Mike Bianco after the loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in game twelve of the 2014 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Virginia defeated Mississippi 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 21, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; Mississippi Rebels infielder Errol Robinson (6) hugs head coach Mike Bianco after the loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in game twelve of the 2014 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Virginia defeated Mississippi 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

 Three Ole Miss baseball players picked up All-SEC honors on monday. JB Woodman and Henri Lartigue were named to the All-SEC 1st team on Monday, Tate Blackman makes 2nd team. Woodman also on All-defensive team.

Selecting the members of the all-conference team are never easy, but narrowing down a list of the top outfielders in the Southeastern Conference from this season was not a task I coveted. Nonetheless, JB Woodman, who put together his best season as junior, made the first team. Perhaps his presence on the all-defensive team is an indicator of what lifted him above others.

His nine outfield assists and consistent glove made him one of the league’s best center fielders this season. His bat was even more impressive, though, as he led the conference with 13 home runs. Additionally he hit for a .319 average and drove in 49 runs. In conference play alone he hit .324 with 9 long balls and 26 runs batted in.

After leading all SEC catchers with a .348 batting average, which was even higher at .371 in league games, Lartigue made his selection on the first team an obvious choice. His average also lead the Rebels, and he finished second on the team with an on-base percentage of .405. He finished the regular sea on with three home runs and 26 RBI. His defense was better than solid on the season, too, as he fielded at a .990 clip.

Both Woodman and Lartigue were named finalists for the Ferris trophy, given to the top player in Mississippi, and the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation’s top catcher, just last week. Though, Woodman lost out on the Magnolia hardware today, to Mississippi State freshman, Jake Mangum, but Lartigue is still yet to know his fate. The Rebel catcher, always a position of strength under Mike Bianco, is the only one of the three finalists for the Bench award from the SEC.

For Blackman his sophomore season was about bouncing back from a rough freshman season. This year he was closer to his lofty projects coming out of high school. That should also give the Rebels hope going forward, as neither Woodman, Bortles or Lartigue were named all-conference as sophomores. With Blackman not being draft eligible, as those three are, Bianco will be able to count on his second baseman returning and being a stalwart for next season’s club.

Related Story: 8 reasons Ole Miss baseball will make it to Omaha

On the season, Blackman hit .332, good for second-best on the team, with three home runs and 37 runs batted in. He led the team in hits with 68 and finished second with 13 doubles. He was able to find gaps all season. It’s conceivable that he could make a jump similar to Woodman in his junior season, with a burst in power and potential a first team not.

Home/Ole Miss Baseball