FRESHMAN PITCHER SELECTED AS ALL-AMERICAN

Old Dominion University freshman righthander Justin Verlander of Goochland, Va., has been selected first team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News.

Verlander, the CAA Rookie of the Year, became the sixth Monarch newcomer to earn first-team honors. Tim Hummel last achieved the designation in 1998.

The 6-4, 195-pounder led the CAA with a 1.90 earned run average. He ranked second in the league with 137 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. He had eight complete games and was involved in all four Monarch shutouts.

Verlander fanned 10 or more batters five times, including an ODU record 17 in a 2-0 victory over James Madison. His season strikeout total is second highest in ODU history and third in CAA history. Opponents hit only.207 against him and only 15 of the 83 hits he gave up were for extra bases. He averaged 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, catching 53 batters looking.