MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Ryan Gray of Trinity University and Will Cates of Southwestern University have been named D3baseball.com Preseason All-America.
Gray, a senior pitcher from Tucson, Ariz., earned first team honors after being named D3baseball.com All-America first team honors after the 2015 campaign. Gray also earned All-West Region first team, American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-West Region second team, and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference first team honors.
Gray posted a perfect 8-0 mark on the mound while also earning two saves. He threw 67.2 innings and finished with a 2.00 ERA. His team-best 75 strikeouts helped the Tigers to their first NCAA Division III Championship appearance. The Tigers open the season on February 12 at the Celements Fluid Classic at the University of Texas-Tyler.
Cates, a senior outfielder from Cy Fair, Texas, earned second team honors after being named SCAC Player of the year and earning a D3baseball.com All-America honorable-mention nod last season. Cates hit .391 with 10 doubles eight triples, five home runs and 36 RBIs. He topped the SCAC with 51 runs scored and 31 stolen bags.
Cates ran up a 19-game hitting stream and posted a team-best 21 multiple-hit and eight-multi RBI games last season. The Pirates open the new year on February 5 at the Firehouse Classic in Montgomery, Ala.
Full release here.
Trinitytigers.com and Southwesternpirates.com contributed to this story.
