BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky University right-hander Justin Hageman has been named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team, as chosen by Collegiate Baseball and announced Wednesday morning.
Hageman, a freshman from Hopkinsville, Ky., was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after finishing the season with an 8-5 record. He ranked among the top 10 in the league in ERA (3.22), wins (8), innings pitched (100.2), strikeouts (85) and opponent batting average (.256). He went 6-2 in conference games with 60 strikeouts and only 18 walks and led the SBC with 30 batters struck out looking.
With his eighth win of the season on May 7 against Florida Atlantic, his second complete game of the year, he became WKU's winningest freshman pitcher. Hageman scattered nine hits, struck out four and issued only one walk to pass Matt Ridings for the school's freshman wins record. He also pitched a complete game against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Hageman becomes the seventh player and fourth pitcher in school history to earn Freshman All-America honors, the first since Bart Carter earned the recognition in 2007.
He is the lone representative of the Sun Belt Conference on this year's Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America Team.
