Turner, Wahl Named Louisville Slugger All-Americans

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI/Ole Miss Athletics) – Juniors Stuart Turner and Bobby Wahl became the latest Rebels to garner All-America honors when the pair were named as Louisville Slugger All-America selections by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the publication announced on Thursday with the release of its annual team.

(OleMissSports.com)
Junior catcher Stuart Turner joins Bobby Wahl as All-Americans from the 2013 season.

Turner was named a second team All-America selection at catcher, while Wahl was named a third team All-America selection as a starting pitcher. Both players earned All-SEC honors earlier in the week in a vote of the league’s coaches as award season starts for college baseball.

The top hitter on the Rebels team and one of the tops in the Southeastern Conference this season, Turner is hitting at a .381 clip this season to lead the Rebels and has posted a team-leading 50 RBI and has scored 44 runs this season. He also tallied 15 doubles and five home runs on the way to snagging the first team honors. His .381 average is second in the SEC behind Player of the Year selection Tony Kemp from Vanderbilt.

Defensively, Turner has thrown out 21-of-41 runners on steal attempts, gunning them down at a 51 percent clip to earn a spot on the All-SEC Defensive Team.

Wahl finished the season as one of the top pitchers in the league with an unblemished 9-0 mark on the season and only left the game once in 15 starts with his team trailing this season. The junior right-hander turned in three combined shutouts and a complete-game shutout of Tennessee. His three combined shutouts all came against nationally-ranked foes, and Wahl turned in a 1.14 ERA in eight outings against nationally-ranked competition this season with a 4-0 record in those appearances.

He was also named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award earlier this week. Wahl also was named one of 22 semifinalists for National Pitcher of the Year.

The Rebels will take the field to open NCAA Tournament play at 1 p.m. CT on Friday against the Tribe of William & Mary in a regional hosted by NC State University. Fans can watch the game on ESPN3.com or follow live stats at OleMissSports.com. Interactive brackets and coverage for all 16 NCAA Tournament regional sites can be found at NCAA.com.