STANFORD, Calif. – Preparing to help lead the Cardinal into its third consecutive College World Series appearance this week, junior Alberto Rios and senior Quinn Mathews have been lauded as NCBWA All-America first team selections.
The duo had previously been named All-Americans according to Collegiate Baseball, and were semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Rios, the Pac-12 and NCBWA District 9 Player of the Year, enters the College World Series hitting .387 with 69 runs scored, 23 doubles, a team-best 18 home runs and 71 RBIs. A native of Bellflower, Calif., Rios has hit safely in 53 of the 61 games he's played this season and owns 25 multi-hit games and a team-best 17 multi-RBI games – including setting a Stanford record with 11 RBIs vs. CSU Bakersfield on March 5.
Mathews, the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, has compiled a 10-4 record with a 3.60 ERA over 18 appearances and 17 starts this year. The left-hander has struck out 152 batters – second nationally – compared to 39 walks over 120 innings of work. The native of Aliso Viejo, Calif. has lasted five innings in all but one start this season, including at least seven in 11 of the 17. Mathews has also managed 10+ strikeouts in eight starts this year – most recently striking out a career-best 16 in a must-win super regional game against Texas on June 11.
Including Rios and Mathews from the Pac-12, this year's All-America squads feature 12 conference players or co-players of the year, 14 conference pitchers of the year and two conference relief pitchers of the year.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.
