AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn sophomore pitcher Tanner Burns and junior shortstop Will Holland have been named preseason All-Americans by D1 Baseball. Burns earned second team honors and Holland was named to the third team.
It marks the second preseason All-America honors for both Burns and Holland. Burns was previously named a third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, and Holland was named a second team All-American by Perfect Game.
A native of Cullman, Alabama, Burns is coming off a Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team campaign in which he turned in a 7-4 record and 3.01 ERA as a mainstay in the team's weekend rotation. The right-hander ranked second on the team in strikeouts (77) and innings pitched (86.2). His strikeout total was the most by an Auburn freshman since 2008 and his ERA ranked 12th among freshmen nationally.
In his final four outings of the season, Burns went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and pitched 6.0 or more innings in each outing. He picked up a win against No. 4 Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament and became the first Auburn freshman pitcher to start a NCAA Tournament opener since 1998, ultimately earning the win in 6.0 innings vs. Northeastern.
Holland was a major cog in the lineup from opening day as he played in all 66 games and earned 65 starts at shortstop in 2018. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native led the team and ranked tied for seventh in the Southeastern Conference with 61 runs scored. He also tied for the team lead in hits (78), ranked second in batting average (.313), doubles (18) and RBI (52), and finished tied for second in home runs (12).
Holland picked up a list of postseason accolades that included being named Second Team All-SEC, First Team ABCA All-South Region and a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist.
The junior shortstop is rated by Perfect Game as the No. 12 overall prospect for the 2019 MLB Draft. He was also tabbed by the publication as the No. 7 college prospect and top-rated player from the SEC. Additionally, Holland appeared at No. 8 on Baseball America's top college prospects list and was No. 12 according to D1 Baseball.
The Tigers begin the 2019 campaign with a three-game series against Georgia Southern from Feb. 15-17. Season tickets, which cost $195 per seat, cover Auburn's 32-game home schedule and include 15 SEC contests. Fans can reach the Auburn ticket office by phone at 1-855-282-2010 or by emailing tickets@auburn.edu. To order tickets online, visit www.aubtix.com.
Burns, Holland pick up additional All-America honors
