Frebis named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American

TUCSON, Ariz. - Freshman lefthander Johnathan Frebis has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team, as announced on Wednesday by Collegiate Baseball. Frebis, the 2012 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, becomes the sixth Blue Raider in program history to earn the honor.

Frebis had an outstanding freshman campaign on the mound, going 6-3 with a 3.65 ERA and team-leading 61 strikeouts. He finished the season with victories in his final two starts, shutting out WKU over five innings in the regular-season finale, then picking up the win after tossing 6.1 innings against FIU in the Blue Raiders second game of the Sun Belt tournament.

The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native set the tone in his first career start, tossing five innings of shutout ball against Saint Louis. Frebis became the school’s first pitcher to go at least five frames without allowing a run in his first career appearance dating back to 1988, the first year under head coach Steve Peterson.

He followed that up with a six-inning outing against Ohio, allowing just one run and fanning seven to pick up his first collegiate win. One of his best performances came against eventual league champion Florida Atlantic, where he was perfect into the seventh before giving up a hit. The lefty threw his first complete game against South Alabama, matching his career-high of seven strikeouts in the 12-3 win.

Frebis finished the season ranked second in the conference with a .226 opponent batting average, only trailing teammate Jonathan Sisco with a .222 average. He joins Bryce Brentz, Josh Archer, Nate Jaggers, John Williams and Brad Howard as the six Blue Raiders who have earned the honor. Brentz was the most recent honoree, receiving the accolade in 2008.

For the full list of this year's freshmen All-Americans, click here.

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