Feb. 8, 2018
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" A long list of preseason accolades for Auburn junior pitcher Casey Mize grew longer as he was voted by Southeastern Conference head coaches as a Preseason First Team All-SEC selection Thursday morning.
Mize is one of two starting pitchers on the 12-man first team. He also joins former Tiger Anfernee Grier as the second Auburn player to earn preseason All-SEC honors, which is in its fourth year of existence.
The conference recognition comes after already being named a preseason All-American on five occasions. Mize earned Preseason First Team All-America honors from Baseball America, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game/Rawlings. He also earned Preseason Second Team All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
The Springville, Ala., native is coming off a sophomore season in which he became the 25th All-American in program history after leading the team with an 8-2 record, 2.04 ERA and 109 strikeouts despite missing three starts. His ERA registered third in the SEC and 25th in the NCAA, while his strikeout total was the highest by an Auburn pitcher since 1999. Additionally, Mize led the NCAA with a 12.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio and ranked 15th in the country by striking out 11.73 batters per nine innings.
2018 SEC BASEBALL COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC TEAMS
First Team
C ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Grant Kock, Arkansas
1B ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Julian Infante, Vanderbilt
2B ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Cobie Vance, Alabama
SS ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
3B ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Jonathan India, Florida
OF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Antoine Duplantis, LSU
OF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Tristan Pompey, Kentucky
OF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
DH/UTL ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Michael Curry, Georgia
SP ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Casey Mize, Auburn
SP ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Brady Singer, Florida
RP ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Michael Byrne, Florida
Second Team
C ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" JJ Schwarz, Florida
1B ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Kameron Misner, Missouri
2B ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Luke Becker, Kentucky
SS ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Jax Biggers, Arkansas
3B ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" George Janca, Texas A&M
OF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas
OF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Zach Watson, LSU
OF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬"Carlos Cortes, South Carolina
DH/UTL ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" JJ Schwarz, Florida
SP ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Sean Hjelle, Kentucky
SP ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Blaine Knight, Arkansas
RP ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Dallas Woolfolk, Ole Miss
Mize and the Tigers begin the 2018 season as Longwood comes to town for a three-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 16 at Plainsman Park. Season tickets, which are $185 per seat, cover the Tigers' 35-game home schedule and include 15 SEC contests. Single-game and specialty-pack tickets are also available. Fans can reach the Auburn ticket office by phone at 334-844-4040 or 1-855-282-2010 or by emailing tickets@auburn.edu. To order tickets online, visit www.aubtix.com.