Three Ole Miss Rebels Earn All-SEC Recognition

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Ole Miss Athletics) – The Ole Miss baseball team had three Rebels earn All-Southeastern Conference honors, the conference office announced Monday afternoon (May 23). Juniors J.B. Woodman and Henri Lartigue was tabbed First Team All-SEC, while sophomore Tate Blackman collected Second Team All-SEC accolades. Woodman also made the SEC All-Defensive Team.

All three Rebels were named All-SEC for the first time in their respective careers. For the 21st time in program history, Ole Miss has three all-conference honorees. The Rebels have had at least three All-SEC players in four of the last five seasons.

As a team captain, Woodman has led Ole Miss all season long. The Orlando, Florida native hit .319 during the regular season with team highs in runs scored (47), RBI (49) and slugging percentage (.565), cracking the SEC’s top 10 in all three categories. He leads the SEC with 13 home runs and also has 12 doubles to his credit. Woodman has shown his speed on the base path, leading the Rebels with 11 stolen bases. He certainly earned his spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team, recording nine outfield assists throughout the season, which ranks second nationally. Seven of his nine outfield assists occurred at the plate to prevent runs from scoring. Against LSU, Woodman threw three runners out at the plate and hit .500 to claim the title of National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Leading all SEC catchers with a .348 batting average, including an impressive .371 clip in conference games, Lartigue earned his spot on the All-SEC First Team. The Southaven, Mississippi native has tallied 10 games with at least three hits, pacing the Rebel bats. The Ole Miss catcher has also come through in the clutch with a pair of walk-off hits this season. Against Auburn (April 24), Lartigue smacked a base hit to knock in the Rebels’ fourth run of the ninth inning and cap a 6-5 comeback victory. Two weeks ago versus Kentucky (May 13), he belted a deep fly to right field that cleared the fence for a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Rebels a 7-5 win. Lartigue was also the only SEC catcher to be named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, an honor given to the top catcher in college baseball.

Blackman has had a big sophomore campaign, leading the Rebels with 68 hits to go along with a .332 average. The Altamonte Springs, Florida native leads the SEC with seven sacrifice flies, a mark that ranks 15th in the country. Blackman started all 56 regular season games at second base and helped Ole Miss turn a SEC-best 30 double plays in conference games. Blackman’s batting average is second on the team along with 42 runs scored and 19 multi-hit games. Reaching base in 52 of the 56 games, he has tallied 37 RBI throughout the 2016 campaign.

The Ole Miss baseball team is in Hoover, Alabama preparing for the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Ole Miss will be the No. 7 seed at the tournament and play in the single-elimination first round on Tuesday, May 24. The Rebels’ opponent will be the No. 10 seed Georgia Bulldogs. First pitch is scheduled for approximately 1 p.m. CT.