The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
C-USA Recognizes Jamal Austin On Preseason Baseball Team
1/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 27, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB junior center fielder Jamal Austin was voted to the 2011 Preseason All-Conference USA Baseball Team as selected by the league's head coaches and released on Thursday.
Austin earned one of three outfield spots on the team, joining Drew Martinez of Memphis and Trent Whitehead of East Carolina.
A second-team all-league selection last season, Austin led Conference USA with 28 stolen bases and ranked fourth in league-only batting average at .418. The UAB leadoff hitter ranked as the 57th-toughest Division I player to strike out with just 15 strikeouts in 209 at-bats.
Austin's speed also proved again to be a difference-maker defensively as he turned would-be hits into outs in center field.
For his two-year career, the Kennesaw, Ga., product owns a .332 batting average and ranks seventh all-time at UAB with 48 steals.
Austin helped UAB to a second-consecutive winning season last spring with a 28-25 overall record. The Blazers open their 2011 season Feb. 18 in Auburn, Ala., against a Virginia team that spent much of last year ranked No. 1 in the country. UAB will also face Auburn and Arkansas State in its opening weekend.
2011 C-USA PRESEASON BASEBALL AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Rendon, Rice (Junior, Third Baseman)
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Todd McInnis, Southern Miss (Senior, Right-hander)
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
P, Seth Maness, Sr., East Carolina
P, Todd McInnis, Sr., Southern Miss
P, Taylor Wall, Jr., Rice
RP, Collin Cargill, Sr., Southern Miss
C, Victor Gomez, Jr., Marshall
IF, Garrett Cannizaro, So., Tulane
IF, Anthony Rendon, Jr., Rice
IF, Corey Thompson, Jr., East Carolina
IF, B.A. Vollmuth, Jr., Southern Miss
IF, Chad Zurcher, Jr., Memphis
OF, Jamal Austin, Jr., UAB
OF, Drew Martinez, Jr., Memphis
OF, Trent Whitehead, Sr., East Carolina
DH/UT, Jeremy Rathjen, Jr., Rice
