Baseball | 5/25/2017 5:03:00 PM
AUSTIN, Texas – The National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) has released its 2017 All-America teams, and Southern Arkansas seniors
Trevor Rucker and
Makenzy Larsen were lauded as All-Americans with
Rucker being named to the first-team as an outfielder and
Larsen to the second-team as a relief pitcher.
Official NCBWA Release
Rucker's appointment on the NCBWA All-America First-Team makes him the first Mulerider to achieve that honor since 2010 when teammates Cannon Lester and Hayden Simpson were both NCBWA All-America First-Teamers as well.
Tabbed as the consensus Central Region Player of the Year,
Rucker has also recently been named as one of 12 finalists for the Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year Award.
A native of Prescott, Ark., Rucker is currently the only player in all NCAA College Baseball with at least 20 doubles, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Additionally, he is one of just three (3) players in all of NCAA College Baseball to reach the 20 or more mark in home runs and doubles with the other two hailing from the DI ranks.
The unanimous GAC Player of the Year, Rucker ended his career at Southern Arkansas with an emphatic bang as he posted career bests as a senior in Batting Average (.393), Runs Scored (67), Hits (77), Doubles (20), Triples (4), Home Runs (20), RBIs (49) Slugging Percentage (.842), and On-Base Percentage (.498).
Furthermore, Rucker's season totals rank him in the Top-25 of DII in six (6) categories - Slugging % (2nd), Hit-By-Pitch (2nd), Total Bases (3rd), Home Runs (7th), Runs Scored (15th), and Doubles (21st).
Totaling 44 extra-base hits (20 doubles, 4 triples, 20 home runs), Rucker's 20-home run campaign is the second-most in a season at SAU, and vaulted him to the top of the all-time list as he ended his standout four-year career with 42 home runs.
The first baseball player in GAC history to be a four-time All-GAC selection (2016 - HM, 2015 - HM, 2014 - 2nd-Team/Freshman of the Year), Rucker sits atop seven (7) major offensive categories in the GAC - Slugging %, On-Base %, Runs Scored, Doubles, Home Runs, Total Bases, and Hit-By-Pitch.
For his career as a Mulerider, Rucker hit .341 (261-for-766) with 200 Runs Scored, 54 Doubles, 11 Triples, 42 Home Runs, 154 RBIs, 100 stolen bases, a slugging percentage of .604 and an on-base percentage of .430.
Larsen, a sidewinding senior right-hander, was named to the NCBWA All-America Second-Team as a relief pitcher after he had his best year as a Mulerider and put up some of the best numbers in the country for a reliever.
A native of Texarkana, Texas, Larsen has twice been named as an all-region reliever with first-team honors from the NCBWA and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA).
Having made 24 relief appearances on the year, Larsen ended his senior season 5-0 with seven (7) saves and a minuscule 0.66 ERA. A testament to his effectiveness, Larsen allowed just two (2) extra-base hits all year and had 11 appearances in which he did not allow a single hit; of those four (4) outings were of more than an inning.
His ERA, Innings Pitched (41.0), and Opponent's Slugging Percentage (.187) led relievers on the All-America ballot, while his Appearances, WHIP (0.71), Wins, and Opponent Batting Average (.158) were second-best among relievers on the ballot.
