Aggies Outfielder Jace LaViolette Named CBN Freshman All-American
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Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette became a staple for the program's future. Now, he's being honored in the present.
LaViolette was named to the Freshman All-America Team by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the publication announced on Wednesday. LaViolette and Aggies are coming off a 38-27 that ended Monday night against No. 8 seed Stanford in the Stanford Regional final.
LaViolette becomes the 14th Aggie in program history to garner the honor from the publication, and the first A&M player since pitcher Mason Ornelas did so after the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The 6-6 outfielder becomes the first position player from A&M to land on the CBN Freshman All-America team since Logan Foster in 2017.
Known for his power at the plate, LaViolette earned SEC All-Freshman honors at the end of the regular season after finishing with a .306 batting average. He twice earned weekly nods from the league, taking home SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance vs. Auburn and SEC Player of the Week for his efforts in the regular-season finale series at Mississippi State. Against the Bulldogs, he went 5-of-10 (.500) with three home runs and seven RBIs.
The left-hander from Katy Tomkins High School put together a .287/.414/.632 slash line in 2023, leading the Aggies in home runs (21), RBIs (63) and stolen bases (18). In the series finale against Mississippi State, he broke Aggies' icon John Byington's freshman home run record set in 1987 with his 18th blast. LaViolette was just two steals away from becoming A&M’s second player ever with 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season.
As one of the top hitters in the SEC, LaViolette is expected to return for his sophomore season and potentially become the face of the program. He joins fellow freshmen in catcher Max Kaufer, pitchers Shane Sdao and Justin Lampkin, and utility players Kaeden Kent and Kasen Wells as building blocks for the 2024 season.
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