Aggies Jace LaViolette Named To All-SEC Freshman Team
The awards keep on coming for Jace LaViolette.
LaViolette, one of Texas A&M baseball's top hitters and building blocks for the program's future under Jim Schlossnagle, was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team on Monday afternoon.
Known for his power and ability to drive in runs, LaViolette lived up to expectations during his first season in Aggieland. He capped off his freshman season with a three-home run outing Friday against Mississippi State, surpassing John Byington’s freshman home run record set in 1987.
The spotlight hasn't hampered LaViolette's development but rather enhanced it. He became the first Aggie to win SEC Freshman Player of the Week since 2019 after going 6-for-15 (.400) with three long balls and 10 RBIs in Week 8 against Auburn. LaViolette took home honors again this past weekend after going 5-for-10 (.500) with three home runs and seven RBIs in a series win against Mississippi State.
LaViolette broke onto the college scene with gusto back in February. In the season-opening series, he went 4-for-10 with five RBIs and three walks. He also smacked a walk-off, two-run double against Portland in Week 2 to avoid an early series sweep.
Entering the SEC Tournament, LaViolette leads A&M in home runs (18), RBIs (57), total bases (125), stolen bases (16), and slugging percentage (.672). The Katy native ranks third in batting average at .306, trailing only first baseman Jack Moss (.369) and shortstop Hunter Haas (.322).
LSU outfielder and projected No. 1 pick in next month's MLB Draft Dylan Crews was named SEC Player of the Year after leading the conference in batting average (.423), on-base percentage (.573), runs (79) and walks (56). A junior from Longwood, Fla., Crews finished the regular season with 14 home runs, 13 doubles and 57 RBIs.
Fellow Tiger Paul Skenes was named SEC Pitcher of the Year for his breakout performance in Baton Rouge. Skenes, a right-hander transfer from Air Force, led the conference in wins (10), strikeouts (164), ERA (1.77), innings (86⅔) and opponent batting average (.161).
A native of Lake Forest, California, Skenes is projected to be a top-three pick in next month's draft. LSU becomes the third program to produce the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year in the same season, following Georgia in 2008 and Florida in 2018.
The Aggies will face Tennessee Tuesday at The Hoover Metroplex in the SEC Tournament for a single-elimination matchup at 12:30 p.m. The winner will face No. 2-seed Arkansas in a double-elimination showdown beginning Wednesday.
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