PRESS RELEASE
Garett Wall UofL Baseball SID
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A school record four members of the Louisville baseball team earned 2016 Louisville Slugger All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball newspaper on Thursday, highlighted by junior pitcher Drew Harrington receiving first team recognition. Junior pitcher Zack Burdi and junior outfielder Corey Ray were named to the second team, while sophomore pitcher/first baseman Brendan McKay earned third team accolades.
Thursday’s announcement marked the first time in school history four Cardinals have received All-America recognition from one organization. Harrington was named as an All-American for the first time in his collegiate career, while Burdi, Ray and McKay were All-American selections by multiple outlets last season.
Selected as the 2016 ACC Pitcher of the Year last week, Harrington enters this weekend’s NCAA Regional with an 11-2 record, 2.24 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 96.1 innings pitched. A native of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Harrington has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 15 starts this season and is tied for sixth nationally in wins. In his 10 regular season ACC starts, Harrington was 8-0 with a 1.33 ERA.
A native of Downers Grove, Illinois, Burdi has 10 saves this season and ranks second in career saves at Louisville with 19 while accumulating 45 strikeouts and just seven walks in 27.0 innings pitched and 25 relief appearances this season. The hard-throwing righty was an All-ACC First Team honoree out of the bullpen and has a 2.00 ERA and a 1-2 record on the mound in his second season as Louisville’s closer.
An All-ACC First Team outfielder, Ray is hitting .320 overall with 15 home runs, 58 RBI and 39 stolen bases while starting all 59 games this season. Ray, a Chicago native who ranks fourth in the nation in stolen bases and is among the top 30 in home runs, also has 16 doubles, 54 runs scored and 33 walks as the everyday leadoff hitter for the ACC Atlantic Division champion Cardinals.
Selected as an All-ACC First Team honoree as both a starting pitcher and utility player, McKay has an 11-3 record on the mound with a 2.25 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 15 starts and 96.0 innings pitched. A native of Darlington, Pennsylvania, McKay has a .330 batting average with four home runs, 37 RBI and 19 doubles in 56 starts as a hitter.
The No.2 national seeded Cardinals open the NCAA Championship against Western Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m., ET during the first day of the NCAA Regional at Louisville’s Jim Patterson Stadium. Ohio State and Wright State will open Friday’s schedule at 2 p.m.
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