Diodati, Jean selected as Freshman All-Americans

Great Lake Canadians and Junior National Team alum and Alabama Tide standout Owen Diodati (NIagara Falls, Ont.) has been named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News. Photo: University of Alabama Athletics

Great Lake Canadians and Junior National Team alum and Alabama Tide standout Owen Diodati (NIagara Falls, Ont.) has been named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News. Photo: University of Alabama Athletics

June 2, 2020

By Alex Thompson

University of Alabama Athletics

Diodati, Jean, Prielipp Selected as Freshman All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball News

Prielipp was also named one of the outlet’s four National Freshman Players of the Year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama's Owen Diodati, Antoine Jean and Connor Prielipp were selected as Freshman All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball News (CBN), the outlet announced on Tuesday. Prielipp was also named one of CBN's four National Freshman Players of the Year.

The selections marks the first time Alabama has had three players in the same year named to a Freshman All-America team in program history. The previous high was two, which came in both 1999 (Jeremy Brown, Lance Cormier) and most recently in 2013 (Ray Castillo, Mikey White). The trio are the first Freshman All-America selections for the Crimson Tide since Thomas Burrows was named to both the CBN and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Freshman All-America rosters in 2014.

Prielipp's Freshman Player of the Year recognition is Alabama's first since Wade LeBlanc in 2004. Prielipp and LeBlanc are the only two players in program history to earn the distinct honor.

Freshman All-Americans

Owen Diodati, Outfielder

  • Led all Southeastern Conference freshmen in RBI (22) and slugging percentage (.673) while tying for the league lead in home runs (5) and walks (13) among first-year players

  • Tied for third in the conference in RBI and seventh in homers across all hitters

  • Finished as the Crimson Tide's leader in RBI and ranked second in home runs

  • Earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Week accolades after Opening Weekend of the 2020 campaign thanks to a .667 (6-9) effort that included a double, triple, three home runs, eight RBI, six runs and four walks

    Antoine Jean, Pitcher

  • Tied for the third-fewest walks allowed in the SEC among qualifying pitchers, issuing just three free passes across 17.0 innings of work

  • Matched Prielipp for the team lead in wins with three as part of his 3-0 record in four starts

  • Struck out 17 and held a 3.18 ERA (6 ER) at season's end

    Connor Prielipp, Pitcher

  • Also tabbed as First Team All-American by CBN

  • Named Perfect Game USA's "Impact Freshman of the Year" and D1Baseball.com's "Top Freshman Pitcher" in addition to his "National Freshman of the Year" honors from CBN

  • Matched Jean with a 3-0 record in four starts while sporting a 0.00 ERA across his 21.0 innings pitched

  • Accumulated a team-high 35 strikeouts and limited opposing hitters to a .077 average, a mark that was lowest in the SEC

  • Walked six and allowed only five hits as part of an impressive 0.52 WHIP that led the league and ranked fifth in Division I

CBN Staff