DALLAS – The postseason accolades continue to roll in for junior shortstop Ryan Bliss, who has been named First Team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Bliss is one of nine players from the Southeastern Conference to earn first team honors. A complete list of the NCBWA All-American Teams can be found here.
Bliss has already been named Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American, ABCA First Team All-Southeast Region, Second Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team, and a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award and Dick Howser Trophy. He became the fourth two-time All-American in program history earlier this month, joining Gregg Olson (1987-88), Casey Mize (2017-18) and Tanner Burns (2019-20) on the list.
A native of LaGrange, Georgia, Bliss finished the regular season as the only player in the SEC to rank in the top five in average (.366), slugging (.664), runs (31), hits (48), doubles (nine), home runs (10), RBI (30) and total bases (87) during league games. He also ranked in the top five in the league overall in average (.362), slugging (.643), hits (75) and total bases (133) during the regular season.
Bliss collected multiple hits in a league-best 26 of 51 games during the regular season, including 16 of 30 games in SEC play, and finished the year with a homer and another multi-hit effort in the Tigers' SEC Tournament game vs. Ole Miss. His .365 average and 15 home runs are the most by an Auburn shortstop in the same season since Doug Gilcrease hit .386 with 17 home runs in 1982.
Bliss has played and started in all but two games during his Auburn career and is a .328 career hitter with 176 hits in 134 contests. He's added 121 runs, 32 doubles, four triples, 20 homers and 99 RBI while turning in a .972 career fielding percentage.
