2021 College Baseball All-Americans: First, Second, Third Teams

Baseball America presents its 2021 College All-America teams, which include 13 players competing in the College World Series.

East Carolina, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt all produced two first-team All-Americans. Mississippi, Stanford and Tennessee also had two players honored across the three teams.

Three players from the Preseason All-America first team also made the postseason first team: Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser and Vanderbilt righthanders Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. Louisville catcher Henry Davis and Notre Dame first baseman Niko Kavadas were on the second- and third-team respectively in the preseason before moving up to the first-team in the postseason. In all, 10 players who scouts voted as Preseason All-Americans earned spots on the postseason teams.

This year marks a return of Baseball America’s postseason All-America teams, as none were awarded in 2020 following the cancellation of the season. 

The first team roster is as follows, and writeups are included below. The second and third teams are located at the bottom of the post.

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First Team

 

C Henry Davis, Louisville 3Y So.
.370 | .482 | .663 | 184 AB | 45 R | 68 H | 15 HR | 48 RBI | 31 BB | 24 K | 10 SB

After showing flashes as a freshman and then breaking out in 2020 before the season was canceled, Davis put it all together in 2021. He’s among the ACC leaders in just about every offensive category while also serving as a quality defensive catcher with a rifle arm. 

1B Niko Kavadas, Notre Dame 4Y Jr.
.302 | .473 | .767 | 159 AB | 42 R | 48 H | 22 HR | 64 RBI | 50 BB | 55 K | 2 SB

Kavadas enjoyed a monster season as a fourth-year player at Notre Dame and has as much to do with the Irish’s breakthrough season as any player on the roster. A more complete hitter than he’s been in the past, Kavadas set a career-high for walks while not sacrificing any power. His 22 home runs are good for third nationally. 

2B Connor Norby, East Carolina, 3Y So.
.415 | .484 | .659 | 246 AB | 64 R | 102 H | 15 HR | 51 RBI | 33 BB | 34 K | 18 SB

After hitting just .194 as a freshman in 2019, Norby became one of the best hitters in all of college baseball just two years later. He led the American Athletic Conference in average and on-base percentage this season, while also making a big jump in power. After hitting two home runs in his first two seasons, he hit 15 in 2021. 

3B Hunter Wells, Louisiana Tech, 5Y Sr.
.385 | .456 | .645 | 262 AB | 70 R | 101 H | 14 HR | 61 RBI | 34 BB | 37 K | 1 SB

Wells shined brightest in a Louisiana Tech lineup full of productive veterans, helping earn the Bulldogs a spot as a regional host for the first time. He is among the conference leaders in a number of offensive categories, including leading Conference USA in hitting. At the time his season ended, he was also the national leader in hits. 

SS Trey Sweeney, Eastern Illinois, 3Y So.
.382 | .522 | .712 | 170 AB | 52 R | 65 H | 14 HR | 58 RBI | 46 BB | 24 K | 3 SB

Sweeney carried momentum from a strong summer in the Coastal Plain League into his third season at EIU, which was a breakout campaign for the shortstop. He tapped into his power in a big way for the first time in his career and became a much better all-around hitter on the way to setting career highs in every offensive category. 

OF Tanner Allen, Mississippi State, 4Y Jr.
.392 | .463 | .634 | 232 AB | 64 R | 91 H | 10 HR | 62 RBI | 22 BB | 30 K | 9 SB

The SEC player of the year, Allen took steps forward in many ways in 2021, setting a career high in all three slash line categories at .392/.463/.634, in home runs with 10 and in stolen bases with nine after stealing just one total in his first three seasons. 

OF Colton Cowser, Sam Houston State, 3Y So.
.374 | .490 | .680 | 203 AB | 61 R | 76 H | 16 HR | 52 RBI | 42 BB | 32 K | 17 SB

One of just three players to be a first team All-American in the preseason and postseason in 2021, Cowser had a huge year even as he was the clear focal point of the Sam Houston State lineup going into the season. A multi-faceted offensive weapon, Cowser had his best season in terms of both home runs (16) and stolen bases (17). 

OF Aaron Zavala, Oregon, 3Y So.
.392 | .525 | .628 | 199 AB | 64 R | 78 H | 9 HR | 38 RBI | 50 BB | 31 K | 11 SB

The centerpiece of the lineup for a resurgent Oregon team, Zavala showed excellent plate discipline with 50 walks compared to 31 strikeouts while hitting .392 overall and .380 in Pac-12 play. He also made a huge jump in his power numbers with nine home runs this season after hitting just one in his first 58 career games. 

DH Mat Nelson, Florida State, 3Y So.
.336 | .436 | .773 | 194 AB | 50 R | 64 H | 23 HR | 66 RBI | 31 BB | 58 K | 4 SB

Though he got squeezed out at the catcher position on this team due to the season Henry Davis put together, Nelson had a big campaign as FSU’s backstop. He was among the national leaders in home runs all season long and served as the linchpin of a Seminoles’ lineup that badly needed one. 

SP Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt, 2Y Fr.
10-3 | 2.16 ERA | 16 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 96 IP | 41 H | 41 BB | 156 K | .127 AVG

Part of the most dominant one-two punch in college baseball, Leiter picked up where he left off during the shortened 2020 season, and over the first half of the season, which included a no-hitter on March 20 against South Carolina, there was no more dominant pitcher in all of college baseball. 

SP Doug Nikhazy, Mississippi, 3Y So.

12-2 | 2.45 ERA | 16 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 92 IP | 62 H | 31 BB | 142 K | .186 AVG

Nikhazy earned his place among the nation’s elite starting pitchers with his performance in 2021. He’s always been effective, but he became dominant this season, striking out 142 batters and counting after striking out 86 back in 2019. 

SP Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt, 3Y So.

13-3 | 2.46 ERA | 17 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 106 IP | 59 H | 36 BB | 155 K | .157 AVG

For the third year in a row, Rocker was among college baseball’s most dominant pitchers, and in his third year, his numbers were up across the board from where they were during his last full season in 2019. He and Leiter spent all season near the top of the national strikeout leaderboard. 

SP Gavin Williams, East Carolina, 4Y Jr.

10-1 | 1.88 ERA | 15 G | 1 CG | 1 SV | 81.1 IP | 57 H | 21 BB | 130 K | .193 AVG

After dealing with inconsistency and injuries throughout the first three years of his East Carolina career, Williams came into his own as a dominant force in year four. He wasn’t in the rotation initially this season, which limited his innings a bit, but on a rate basis, particularly with his 14.39 strikeouts per nine innings, he’s as good as anyone. 

RP Kevin Kopps, Arkansas, 6Y Sr.

12-1 | 0.90 ERA | 33 G | 0 CG | 11 SV | 89.2 IP | 50 H | 18 BB | 131 K | .162 AVG

Kopps has been, frankly, college baseball’s best pitcher in 2021. A true Swiss Army knife, he is a reliever in name only, given his 12 victories, his nearly 90 innings pitched and his strikeout total, which is among the national leaders. 

RP Landon Sims, Mississippi State, 2Y Fr.

4-0 | 1.55 ERA | 21 G | 0 CG | 10 SV | 46.1 IP | 25 H | 14 BB | 85 K | .154 AVG

Sims has been dominant in every way out of the Mississippi State bullpen. Batters are hitting just .154 against him with very little power, as he didn’t allow a home run until super regionals, and his strikeout rate is 16.5 per nine innings. 

UT Paul Skenes, Air Force, Fr.

.410 | .486 | .697 | 188 AB | 49 R | 77 H | 11 HR | 43 RBI | 22 BB | 45 K | 0 SB

1-1 | 2.70 ERA | 18 G | 0 CG | 11 SV | 26.2 IP | 20 H | 9 BB | 30 K | .208 AVG

The only player in the country to have double-digit home runs and double-digit saves, Skenes was an immediate star for Air Force as a freshman, leaning on his impressive power and a fastball that averaged 95 mph. 

 

Second Team

 

C Daniel Susac, Arizona, Fr.
.329 | .389 | .581 | 234 AB | 47 R | 77 H | 12 HR | 61 RBI | 19 BB | 46 K | 0 SB

1B Ethan Long, Arizona State, Fr.
.340 | .417 | .704 | 162 AB | 42 R | 55 H | 16 HR | 54 RBI | 18 BB | 46 K | 0 SB

2B Jace Jung, Texas Tech, 2Y Fr.
.337 | .462 | .697 | 208 AB | 55 R | 70 H | 21 HR | 67 RBI | 49 BB | 45 K | 4 SB

3B Tyler Locklear, Virginia Commonwealth, 2Y Fr.
.345 | .515 | .686 | 194 AB | 69 R | 67 H | 16 HR | 66 RBI | 46 BB | 40 K | 8 SB

SS Brooks Lee, Cal Poly, 2Y Fr.
.342 | .384 | .626 | 222 AB | 48 R | 76 H | 10 HR | 57 RBI  | 18 BB | 34 K | 3 SB

OF Kyler Fedko, Connecticut, 3Y So.
.398 | .483 | .673 | 196 AB | 57 R | 78 H | 12 HR | 53 RBI | 28 BB | 37 K | 7 SB

OF Quincy Hamilton, Wright State, 5Y Jr.
.374 | .535 | .771 | 179 AB | 78 R | 67 H | 15 HR | 65 RBI | 56 BB | 32 K | 20 SB

OF Brock Jones, Stanford, 2Y Fr.
.302 | .452 | .620 | 192 AB | 53 R | 58 H | 16 HR | 54 RBI | 48 BB | 56 K | 14 SB

DH Jacob Berry, Arizona, Fr.
.359 | .448 | .692 | 237 AB | 53 R | 85 H | 17 HR | 70 RBI | 33 BB | 54 K | 2 SB

SP Rodney Boone, UC Santa Barbara, 3Y So.
11-4 | 2.31 ERA | 16 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 97.1 IP | 55 H | 39 BB | 128 K 

SP Geremy Guerrero, Indiana State, 5Y Sr.
10-1 | 2.08 ERA | 14 G | 2 CG | 0 SV | 99.1 IP | 65 H | 14 BB | 98 K | .182 AVG

SP Ty Madden, Texas, 3Y So.
7-4 | 2.41 ERA | 16 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 100.2 IP | 67 H | 39 BB | 119 K | .189 AVG

SP Andrew Taylor, Central Michigan, 2Y Fr.
11-4 | 1.81 ERA | 15 G | 5 CG | 0 SV | 94.1 IP | 64 H | 24 BB | 125 K | .189 AVG

RP Sean Hunley, Tennessee, 4Y Jr.
7-4 | 2.92 ERA | 33 G | 0 CG | 9 SV | 71 IP | 56 H | 11 BB | 75 K | .214 AVG

RP Carson Palmquist, Miami, 2Y Fr.
1-1 | 2.22 ERA | 25 G | 0 CG | 14 SV | 44.2 IP | 22 H | 8 BB | 75 K | .143 AVG

UT Spencer Schwellenbach, Nebraska, 3Y So.
.284 | .403 | .459 | 183 AB | 43 R | 52 H | 6 HR | 40 RBI | 30 BB | 44 K | 9 SB

3-1 | 0.57 ERA | 18 G | 0 CG | 10 SV | 31.2 IP | 22 H | 8 BB | 34 K | .198 AVG

 

 

Third Team

 

C Hunter Goodman, Memphis, 3Y So.
.307 | .401 | .678 | 202 AB | 40 R | 62 H | 21 HR | 51 RBI | 30 BB | 53 K | 9 SB

1B Liam McGill, Bryant, 5Y Sr.
.471 | .541 | .746 | 138 AB | 46 R | 65 H | 9 HR | 50 RBI | 22 BB | 23 K | 2 SB

2B Jackson Glenn, Dallas Baptist, 5Y Sr.
.361 | .429 | .717 | 233 AB | 61 R | 84 H | 20 HR | 53 RBI | 30 BB | 33 K | 13 SB

3B Jake Rucker, Tennessee, 3Y So.
.331 | .400 | .526 | 266 AB | 48 R | 88 H | 9 HR | 55 RBI | 26 BB | 62 K | 7 SB

SS Benjamin Cowles, Maryland, 3Y So.
.287 | .409 | .632 | 174 AB | 42 R | 50 H | 18 HR | 51 RBI | 20 BB | 57 K | 9 SB

OF Kyle Battle, Old Dominion, 5Y Sr.
.319 | .464 | .681 | 207 AB | 68 R | 66 H | 18 HR | 61 RBI | 56 BB | 37 K | 7 SB

OF Jonny Butler, North Carolina State, 4Y Jr.
.377 | .451 | .665 | 191 AB | 52 R | 72 H | 13 HR | 48 RBI | 25 BB | 40 K | 16 SB

OF Sal Frelick, Boston College, 3Y So.
.359 | .443 | .559 | 195 AB | 50 R | 70 H | 6 HR | 27 RBI | 27 BB | 28 K | 13 SB 

DH Wes Clarke, South Carolina, 3Y So.
.271 | .428 | .663 | 199 AB | 56 R | 54 H | 23 HR | 55 RBI | 50 BB | 73 K | 0 SB

SP Andrew Abbott, Virginia, 4Y Jr.
8-6 | 3.04 ERA | 18 G | 0 CG | 0 SV | 100.2 IP | 84 H | 30 BB | 152 K | .228 AVG

SP Brendan Beck, Stanford, 4Y Jr.
9-1 | 2.96 ERA | 15 G | 2 CG | 0 SV | 100.1 IP | 72 H | 23 BB | 128 K | .195 AVG

SP Landon Marceaux, Louisiana State, 3Y So.
7-7 | 2.54 ERA | 18 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 102.2 IP | 92 H | 26 BB | 116 K | .238 AVG

SP Matt Mikulski, Fordham, 4Y Jr.
9-0 | 1.45 ERA | 11 G | 5 CG | 0 SV | 68.1 IP | 29 H | 27 BB | 124 K | .127 AVG

RP Taylor Broadway, Mississippi, 5Y Sr.
4-3 | 3.44 ERA | 30 G | 0 CG | 16 SV | 49.2 IP | 46H | 9 BB | 66 K | .242 AVG

RP Nick Jones, Georgia Southern, 4Y Jr.
1-0 | 1.48 ERA | 29 G | 0 CG | 17 SV | 42.2 IP | 34 H | 5 BB | 68 K | .213 AVG

UT Justin Campbell, Oklahoma State, 2Y Fr.
.269 | .398 | .388 | 67 AB | 10 R | 18 H | 1 HR | 10 RBI | 14 BB | 20 K | 0 SB

7-2 | 2.57 ERA | 14 G | 1 CG | 0 SV | 84 IP | 66 H | 27 BB | 102 K | .214 AVG