Baseball

BASE: Four C-USA Players Named to Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American Team

TUCSON, Arizona – A quartet of Conference USA student-athletes were named to the Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American Team, powered by Diamond Sports, the publication announced Wednesday – Charlotte OF Cam Fisher, LA Tech RHP Ryan Harland, Old Dominion LHP Blake Morgan and Southern Miss OF Carson Paetow.
 
Paetow and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles are set to host the Hattiesburg Super Regional this weekend (Saturday, June 11-Monday, June 13) against Ole Miss. The Vancleave, Mississippi, native has appeared in 63 games this season, 59 of which are starts. Heading into this week’s best-of-three Supers, Paetow is hitting .278 with 15 doubles and 16 home runs to go along with 48 RBI in his first season in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is 18-1 this season in games where Paetow hits leadoff.
 
Fisher, who was earlier named Second Team All-Conference USA and to the league’s All-Freshman team, led the Niners with 18 home runs and was second on the team with 60 RBI. His 18 long balls ranked 43rd nationally among all players, and fourth among those with freshman eligibility. The Knoxville, Tennessee, native registered 17 doubles and a triple to lead the team in extra-base hits (36) while slugging .607 and posting a 1.019 OPS, both second on the team. He was one of two Charlotte players to start every game this season and led the Niners in outfield assists, with four.
 
Morgan, Conference USA’s Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection by the league’s head coaches, finished the season 8-0 with a 1.69 ERA during his initial season in Norfolk. He struck out 66 batters compared to just eight walks across 69.1 innings of work for a Monarchs team that finished the campaign 41-17.
 
Harland, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, appeared in 19 games in his true-freshman season for Louisiana Tech, throwing in 42 innings while posting a 46-to-six strikeout-to-walk ratio. Harland finished the season 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA, while opponents hit just .231 off of him. His career-high performance against Marshall when he struck out eight in a win, came during a span of 24 straight innings that Harland had not allowed an earned run.
 
Looking ahead to the 2023 C-USA baseball season, Dallas Baptist University INF Luke Heefner was also selected as a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. The Patriots begin play as a league member next season.