Collins, Garcia Earn NCBWA Freshman AA Honors

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami Hurricanes catcher Zack Collins and reliever Bryan Garcia were among those named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA) Freshman All-America first team, the organization announced Monday.

The honors were the second for both Collins and Garcia, who earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper earlier in June.

Collins, who was named 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year, ranked among the ACC leaders in nearly every offensive category. Collins batted .298 for the season with 11 home runs, 54 RBI and a slugging percentage of .556.

The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native, who connected on 14 doubles and three triples, had an on-base percentage of .427 in his 58 starts. The third-team All-ACC selection tied for the team lead with 114 total bases this spring.

Garcia, who was named the team’s closer in February, finished with 15 saves and an ERA of 1.75. Garcia registered 31 appearances – tied for the second-most of any pitcher on staff – and struck out 56 batters in 51.1 innings. He finished his first season with a record of 7-4.

Garcia’s 15 saves were the most for a Hurricane reliever since Danny Miranda totaled 15 in 2011, and tied him for the seventh-most in a single season in program history. A second-team All-ACC selection, Garcia recorded the second-most saves of any reliever in the conference.

Collins and Garcia are Miami’s first Freshman All-America selections since Bryan Radziewski was recognized with second-team honors from Baseball America in 2011.