STARKVILLE – Mississippi State second baseman RJ Yeager and freshman designated hitter Hunter Hines have both earned spots on the 2022 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I South All-Region team, it was announced by the association on Wednesday (June 15).

 

The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America Committee.

 

Yeager and Hines recently garnered All-America accolades by Collegiate Baseball and the duo added to their list of honors on Wednesday by earning first team spots on the ABCA’s South All-Region squad.

 

Yeager led the Dawgs during the 2022 season with a .317 batting average and finished sixth in the SEC with 18 home runs. His 56 RBIs ranked seventh in the league. The graduate from Lynn Haven, Florida, also ranked seventh in the SEC with a .668 slugging percentage and recorded 15 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases during his lone season in Starkville.

 

Yeager transferred to State prior to the 2022 campaign after spending four years at Mercer and led Mississippi State in batting average, slugging percentage, hits, RBIs, doubles and home runs. He also paced the Diamond Dawgs with a team-best 21 multi-hit games and tied for first on the squad with 13 multi-RBI games.

 

As for Hines, he ranked in the top 10 in the country in most home runs by a freshman with 16 on the season, while he ranked second among the Diamond Dawgs in that category. Overall, Hines posted a .300 average at the dish with 13 doubles, 16 home runs and 52 RBIs while starting and playing in all 56 games for State primarily as the designated hitter.

 

Hines’ performance this season earned him All-America honors and a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman Team. Hines tied for the team lead with 13 multi-RBI games this season, while he also totaled 18 multi-hit games as a freshman for the Dawgs.

 

ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team selections are nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-America Teams will be announced the morning of Friday, June 17 prior to the start of the 2022 NCAA Div. I College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

 

The finalists for the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I Gold Glove Team will be announced via the Rawlings Sporting Goods Twitter on Monday, June 20, and the Gold Glove winners in all divisions will be announced on Wednesday, June 22. In all divisions, ABCA/Rawlings National Pitchers and Position Players of the Year will be announced on Monday, June 27.

 

The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and 23 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.

 

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