June 3, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. - Lamar pitching standout Eric Harrington was named to the 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team, as announced by Collegiate Baseball on Wednesday.
Harrington, a local product out of Groves, Texas and Port Neches-Groves High School, completed the 2009 season with an 8-1 record and a 3.01 earned run average. He struck out 63 batters while throwing a team-high 83.2 innings. The 5-foot-9 right-hander opened the season with a 7-0 mark, good for the third best undefeated stretch to open a campaign in school history.
He is the eighth Cardinal to earn freshman all-America honors and the third in the last six years. Previous first-year honorees have included Anthony Iapoce in 1992, Kevin Lane in 1993, Wes Koch and Heath Totten in 1998, Josh Gray in 2001, Derrick Gordon in 2004 and Tim Erickson in 2005.
Earlier this season he was named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and first team All-SLC.
Three other Southland Conference schools had representation on the team as Northwestern State pitcher Chad Sheppard, Texas State outfielder Tyler Sibley and McNeese State outfielder Lee Orr were also honored by the magazine.
Lamar ended the season with a 38-22 overall mark and a 20-13 ledger in SLC action. The 38 overall wins are the ninth-consecutive year for the Cards to post at least 30 victories and are the most since capturing 41 wins in 2004.
The Cardinals have recorded three-consecutive 20-win league seasons for the first time in school history and are the only SLC school to finish in the top four of the conference regular-season standings in each of the last seven years.
