Three Alabama Baseball Players Selected to All-SEC Honors

Three members of the 2014 Alabama baseball team earned All-Southeastern Conference honors, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday. Juniors Ben Moore and Wade Wass were chosen for the All-SEC Second Team, while relief pitcher Thomas Burrows earned an SEC All-Freshman team selection.

Ben Moore earned a second-team All-SEC selection after starting all 56 games and establishing himself as one of the Tide’s top offensive players. A .305 hitter, Moore enters regional play tied for third in the SEC and with a team-leading nine home runs this season. He also leads the team in total bases (107), stolen bases (8) and slugging percentage (.486). In 29 conference games, the Cullman native led the team with 34 hits, five home runs, 53 total bases, 21 runs scored and three stolen bases.

Moore was also among the toughest in the league to strike out, striking out just 16 times in 220 at-bats. During SEC play he struck out just eight times in 111 at-bats. The right fielder rounded out his resume with solid work with the glove, committing only two errors in 110 chances this season, with a .982 fielding percentage entering the postseason.

In his first full season for the Tide, Wade Wass earned a second-team All-SEC selection in the DH/UTL category. Ranking second on the team in both batting average (.305) and on-base percentage (.398), Wass finished the regular season tied for fourth in the SEC with a team-leading 19 doubles. He also had four home runs and 31 RBI.

The Pensacola, Fla., native was a key cog for the Tide during SEC play, tying for first in the SEC with 11 doubles and eight HBP against conference foes. He is fifth in the SEC with a .505 slugging percentage and eighth in the conference with a .410 on-base percentage. Additionally, Wass led the team against SEC opponents with a .311 batting average. Defensively, Wass also displayed strong work with the glove, committing one error in 179 chances for a .994 fielding percentage.

Thomas Burrows garnered SEC All-Freshman honors after piling up 10 saves for the Crimson Tide in his freshman campaign. Burrows heads to the postseason tied for second in the conference with 10 saves, after converting each of his chances during this season. The Florence native is currently tied for the seventh-best single-season saves mark in program history, while only Ray Castillo (12 in 2013) and Lance Cormier (11 in 1999) have recorded more saves in their respective freshman seasons.

Burrows made a team-high 22 appearances, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.62 ERA overall for the season, while holding SEC opponents to a 0.89 ERA during conference play. The south paw rounded out his regular season with a .173 batting average against and 32 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.

The Crimson Tide will open postseason play on Friday when they take on Kennesaw State in the 2014 NCAA Tallahassee Regional. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. CST from Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium, and will be available on ESPN3.