Fetter, Putnam and Recknagel Recognized by ABCA
6/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ATHENS, Ohio C Chris Fetter(Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS), Zach Putnam(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) and Nate Recknagel(Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) of the University of Michigan baseball team were named to the Rawlings NCAA Mideast Region First Team announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association Tuesday afternoon (June 17).
The trio also earned national recognition by the Coaches Association, as Fetter and Putnam were selected to the NCAA All-America second team. Fetter earned All-America status as a starting pitcher and Putnam at the utility position. Recknagel was selected as the first baseman for the All-America third team.
Fetter, a redshirt-senior, finished the season with a team-best 10 wins (10-2), 2.47 ERA and 82 strikeouts. His 10 wins were two off the program record, as he became the first Wolverine in 19 years to reach the double-digit win mark. He is just the eighth player in Michigans 142 years to win 10 or more games in a single season.
In Fetters 14 starts, the Wolverines were 12-2 and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 101-40, as he did not allow more than four runs in any of his outings. He threw a team-best five complete games -- three of which were seven-inning complete games C en route to a team-best 94.2 innings.
The 6-8 righthander was also named second team All-America by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Ping! Baseball last week. In addition, he earned All-Big Ten Conference first team honors and was chosen to the Big Ten All-Tournament team.
Putnam, a fifth-round selection of the Cleveland Indians in the Major League Draft, was undefeated on the mound this season (9-0). The junior DH/SP posted a win in all but one of his starts in Big Ten Conference play, finishing 7-0 in league play and earning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
At the plate, Putnam hit .307 with a career-best 11 home runs. Additionally, he recorded 13 doubles, two triples, 51 RBI and was 3-for-3 in steal attempts.
Putnams list of 2008 accolades include being named the District V Player of the Year, as well as second team All-America at the utility position by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Rivals and Ping! Baseball.
Recknagel earned third team honors at first base following one of the most explosive offensive seasons in program history. The senior slugger hit .368, with 23 home runs, 68 RBI while boasting a .751 slugging and .465 on-base percentage.
A 19th-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians, Recknagels 23 jacks set a single-season school record, as he became the first player in program history to surpass the 20-homer mark in a single season. That total tied for third in the country during the regular season and helped him earn the distinction of Big Ten Player of the Year.
Recknagel is the first 1B in the history of the program to be named to an All-America team. He was named All-America second team first baseman by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and second team DH by Baseball Americas and Ping! Baseball last week.
