June 2, 2011
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina junior infielder Ross Heffley was today named to the first team Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-American baseball teams selected and announced by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
Heffley was one of just six members of the 17-man first team that did not garner player or pitcher of the year honors in his respective conference. He also becomes just the 11th different Catamount to garner All-America honors and the first since outfielder Donovan Minero in 2001. Heffley is just the third WCU player to pick up first team accolades all-time joining Jerry Gaines (1975) and Grant Brittain (1990).
In addition to Heffley, three other players from the Southern Conference were honored on Thursday as Georgia Southern's Victor Roache also earned first team plaudits. College of Charleston outfielder Daniel Aldrich was named to the second team while senior third baseman Matt Leeds garnered third team honors.
"I could not be more proud of Ross Heffley and his accomplishments," said WCU head coach Bobby Moranda. "Ross is a young man who was unheralded out of high school, receiving just one NCAA Division I scholarship offer. He continuously works at his craft and makes strides to improve. He is very deserving of all of the awards he has earned thus far in his Catamount career from SoCon Freshman of the Year, to first team all-conference and now All-American honors."
A two-time SoCon Player of the Week who bookended the 2011 regular season with honors, Heffley led the SoCon with both a .419 batting average and a .483 on-base percentage. His seasonal batting average did not dip below .384 and stayed above the .400 mark over the final 26 games. He became just the 14th different player since 1961 to earn the team's Triple Crown - and the first since Kenny Smith in 2007 - after pacing the Catamounts in batting average, home runs (11) and RBI (65).
A native of Snellville, Ga., Heffley earned first team All-SoCon honors from both the league's head coaches and the voting members of the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) after setting career single-season highs in batting average and base hits, tallying the ninth-most in school history with 96 on the year. His 96 hits ranked second among the 10 first-team All-American members. Combined, he reached base safely (H, BB, HBP) in 51 of the 53 games in which he played including a stretch of 38-straight games to conclude the season.
Heffley garnered regional weekly honors on Feb. 23 earning the Southeast Player of the Week from CollegeBaseballInsider.com after hitting .750 (9-for-12) with a .812 on-base percentage and a 1.167 slugging percentage after hitting two doubles and a home run.
The SoCon Freshman of the Year in 2009, Heffley additionally garnered Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball that season. He is slated to play this summer in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League for the second-time in his WCU career, likewise doing so following his rookie campaign in Cullowhee.
