BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU rightfielder Greg Deichmann and pitcher Alex Lange were named to the 2017 First-Team All-SEC squad in a vote of the league coaches.
LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson was named Second-Team All-SEC, and catcher Michael Papierski and third baseman Josh Smith were voted to the All-Defensive Team.
Smith, centerfielder Zach Watson and pitcher Eric Walker were named to the Freshman All-SEC squad.
Deichmann, a junior from Metairie, La., is hitting. 320 this season, and he is No. 2 in the SEC in home runs with 17. Deichmann is also third in the league in RBI (63), second in walks (43), fourth in slugging percentage (.617) and fifth in total bases (127).
Lange, a right-hander from Lee’s Summit, Mo., leads the SEC in strikeouts this season with 111. He is 7-5 on the year with a 2.79 ERA in 90.1 innings, and he’s allowing just a .235 opponent batting average. Lange has 367 career strikeouts, which ranks No. 3 all-time at LSU.
Robertson, a senior from McGregor, Texas, is batting .306 this season with 15 doubles, two triples, six homers and an SEC-high 67 runs scored. He has been instrumental in LSU’s late-season surge, batting a team-best .367 (22-for-60) in the Tigers’ last 14 games (12 wins) with three doubles, one triple, two homers, eight RBI, 20 runs and a .435 on-base percentage.
Papierski, a junior from Lemont, Ill., has performed superbly behind the plate throughout the season, and he has thrown out 21 base runners attempting to steal this season. He’s also become an offensive force, having raised his batting average from .197 to .258 over the past six weeks of the season.
Smith, a Baton Rouge product, is batting .277 on the year with 11 doubles, three homers, 38 RBI and 39 runs, and he’s committed just six errors at third base in 132 chances.
Watson, a native of Ruston, La., is LSU’s third-leading hitter, batting .317 with seven doubles, two triples, four homers, 24 RBI, 25 runs and eight stolen bases. He was named SEC Freshman of the Week on May 8 after leading LSU to a series victory over South Carolina.
Walker, a right-hander from Arlington, Texas, has been LSU’s No. 3 weekend starter all season, and he’s posted a 6-1 record with a 4.04 ERA in 78 innings with 62 strikeouts. Walker was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on April 10 after firing a complete-game shutout at Arkansas, and he threw 7.2 hitless innings in a win versus Auburn on May 13.
2017 SEC Baseball Awards
First-Team All-SEC
C: Grant Koch, Arkansas
1B: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State
2B: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
3B: Jordan Rodgers, Tennessee
SS: Ryan Gridley, Mississippi State
OF: Greg Deichmann, LSU
OF: Tristan Pompey, Kentucky
OF: Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt
DH/UT: Michael Curry, Georgia
SP: Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt
*SP: Sean Hjelle, Kentucky
*SP: Alex Lange, LSU
RP: Logan Salow, Kentucky
Second-Team All-SEC Team
C: Troy Squires, Kentucky
1B: Evan White, Kentucky
2B: Riley Mahan, Kentucky
3B: Colby Bortles, Ole Miss
*SS: Kramer Robertson, LSU
*SS: Jax Biggers, Arkansas
OF: Jonah Todd, Auburn
OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
OF: Chandler Taylor, Alabama
DH/UT: JJ Schwarz, Florida
SP: Alex Faedo, Florida
SP: Brady Singer, Florida
RP: Michael Byrne, Florida
Freshman All-SEC Team
C: Hunter Coleman, Texas A&M
1B: Andre Lipcius, Tennessee
2B: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
3B: Josh Smith, LSU
SS: Cam Shepherd, Georgia
OF: Carlos Cortes, South Carolina
OF: Zach Watson, LSU
OF: Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas
DH/UT: Logan Foster, Texas A&M
SP: Ryan Rolison, Ole Miss
SP: Eric Walker, LSU
RP: T.J. Sikkema, Missouri
SEC All-Defensive Team
C: Michael Papierski, LSU
1B: Evan White, Kentucky
2B: Deacon Liput, Florida
3B: Josh Smith, LSU
SS: Dalton Guthrie, Florida
OF: Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt
OF: Jonah Todd, Auburn
OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
P: Brigham Hill, Texas A&M
Player of the Year: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State
Pitcher of the Year: Sean Hjelle, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Nick Mingione, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Zach Logue, Kentucky
