Miami Places Eight on 2016 All-ACC Teams

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Eight University of Miami baseball student-athletes were among those recognized with all-conference honors, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.

Junior catcher Zack Collins (first team), junior second baseman Johnny Ruiz (second team), senior shortstop Brandon Lopez (third team), sophomore outfielder Carl Chester (third team), junior outfielder Willie Abreu (third team), sophomore lefthander Michael Mediavilla (third team) and junior closer Bryan Garcia (third team) were all honored by the conference.

In addition, righthander Frankie Bartow earned a place on the 2016 ACC All-Freshman Team.

The first-team honor was the second consecutive for Collins, who became Miami’s first back-to-back first-team selection since Jon Jay in 2005 and 2006. Collins batted .381 in the regular season with a team-high 11 home runs and 51 RBI, and led the ACC in on-base percentage and walks.

Ruiz, who earned all-conference recognition for the first time in his career, was one of just four players to start all 53 games in the regular season. Ruiz hit .342 with two home runs with 50 RBI to go along with 12 doubles, and was one of Miami’s most consistent hitters for the season.

Lopez ended the regular season ranked third in the ACC and first on the team with a .390 average. He recorded career-high totals of 69 hits, 13 doubles and 38 RBI. Lopez has started over 200 games at shortstop in his Miami career, and earned All-ACC recognition for the first time.

Chester, who also started all 53 games for Miami in center, was a catalyst at the top of the Miami lineup. The sophomore batted .338 with two home runs and 26 RBI. He lead the team with 70 hits, scored 53 runs, and also stole a team-high 16 bases in his first All-ACC season.

The third-team All-ACC recognition was the third straight for Abreu, who provided Miami with offense and defense in his corner outfield position. Abreu batted .274 in the regular season, and tied for the team lead with 11 home runs – more than the total from his first two seasons combined. He started all 53 games in right field.

In his first season as a member of the rotation, Mediavilla delivered a sparkling campaign en route to the first All-ACC honors of his career. Mediavilla became Miami’s first 10-game winner on the hill since Chris Hernandez in 2010, and finished with a 3.24 ERA and 10-1 record in 14 starts.

Garcia earned all-conference honors for the third straight year, and third-team All-ACC recognition for the second straight year. One of the premier closers in the country, Garcia finished with 14 saves in the regular season to tie the Miami all-time career record of 39. He recorded a 2.05 ERA in 27 appearances with 48 strikeouts compared to just 15 walks.

Bartow was one of Miami’s top arms out of the bullpen, and ranked among the top three in appearances in the ACC in his first season. He recorded a 2.38 ERA and a 3-0 record with 24 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.

2016 All-ACC Baseball Teams

First Team

C – Chris Okey, Clemson

C – Zack Collins, Miami

1B – Tristin English, Georgia Tech

2B – Nate Mondou, Wake Forest

3B – John Sansone, Florida State

3B – Will Craig, Wake Forest

SS – Charles Leblanc, Pitt

OF – Seth Beer, Clemson

OF – Kel Johnson, Georgia Tech

OF – Matt Gonzalez, Georgia Tech

OF – Corey Ray, Louisville

DH/UT – Brendan McKay, Louisville

SP – Drew Harrington, Louisville

SP – Brendan McKay, Louisville

SP – Connor Jones, Virginia

RP – Zack Burdi, Louisville

Second Team

C – Matt Thaiss, Virginia

1B – Preston Palmeiro, NC State

1B – Pavin Smith, Virginia

2B – Nick Solak, Louisville

2B – Johnny Ruiz, Miami

3B – Evan Mendoza, NC State

SS – Taylor Walls, Florida State

OF – Jimmy Herron, Duke

OF – Tyler Ramirez, North Carolina

OF – Stuart Fairchild, Wake Forest

DH/UT – Jack Labosky, Duke

SP – Brandon Gold, Georgia Tech

SP – J.B. Bukauskas, North Carolina

SP – T.J. Zeuch, Pitt

RP – Pat Krall, Clemson

RP – Matthew Gorst, Georgia Tech

Third Team

C – Will Smith, Louisville

1B – Gavin Sheets, Wake Forest

2B – Ernie Clement, Virginia

3B – Blake Tiberi, Louisville

SS – Connor Justus, Georgia Tech

SS – Devin Hairston, Louisville

SS – Brandon Lopez, Miami

OF – Willie Abreu, Miami

OF – Carl Chester, Miami

OF – Josh McLain, NC State

DH/UT – Nick Yarnall, Pitt

SP – Justin Dunn, Boston College

SP – Michael Mediavilla, Miami

SP – Zac Gallen, North Carolina

SP – Parker Dunshee, Wake Forest

RP – Bryan Garcia, Miami

All-Freshman Team

Jacob Stevens, SP, Boston College

Seth Beer, OF, Clemson

Jimmy Herron, OF, Duke

Zack Kone, SS, Duke

Cal Raleigh, C, Florida State

Tristin English, 1B, Georgia Tech

Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech

Devin Mann, 2B, Louisville

Frankie Bartow, RP, Miami

Brett Kinneman, OF, NC State

Matt Vierling, OF, Notre Dame

Yaya Chentouf, RP, Pitt