Baseball Standout James Jurries Named Second-Team All-American
Jun 3, 2002 | Baseball
June 3, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - On the heels of his best statistical season of his illustrious collegiate career, senior infielder James Jurries was selected to the Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-America second-team as announced by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Jurries, the 2002 Conference USA Player of the Year, earned the distinction after hitting .400 with 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He also led the team with 77 runs scored, 96 hits, four triples, 74 RBI, 180 total bases, a .750 slugging percentage, a .493 on-base percentage and 43 walks while tallying 16 doubles.
While Jurries earned a spot on the All-America squad as a second baseman, where he started 36 games as a senior, his versatility was evident in 2002 was he also started 16 games at third base and 11 at first. He led the team with 30 multiple-hit games, including a five-hit showing at Pepperdine (Feb. 10), and with 21 multiple-RBI contests, including five-RBI outings vs. Charlotte (March 17), vs. TCU (April 20) and at South Florida (May 12).
Jurries hit two home runs in five different games in 2002 and was named Conference USA Player of the Week on may 13 after hitting .636 (7-for-11) with a 1.273 slugging percentage on the strength of a double and two home runs during a three-game series at South Florida.
During his final collegiate season, Jurries helped the Green Wave earn their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Regionals while becoming Tulane's first .400 hitter since 1985. He is also the first Tulane player to hit 20 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season. His 96 hits in 2002 is tied for sixth in the Green Wave's single-season record book, and he is also third in total bases and slugging percentage, tied for fourth in batting average, seventh in stolen bases, eighth in runs scored and tied for eighth in triples.
In Tulane's career record book, Jurries tied the all-time runs record (284) while finishing second in hits (344) and home runs (62), fourth in games played (239), at-bats (953), RBI (257) and doubles (66), tied for fourth in triples (11), fifth in stolen bases (80), tied for fifth in batting average (.361), sixth in slugging percentage (.648), tied for sixth in assists (430), seventh in walks (145) and tied for seventh in sacrifice flies (13).
The All-America recognition is the second of Jurries' career as the native of Lake Jackson, Texas, earned the honor as a rookie in 1999 when he was also tabbed National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and College Baseball Insider while earning first-team All-America honors from College Baseball Insider, and second team recognition from Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America.
While Jurries' collegiate career has come to an end, his playing career likely has not as he is projected to be a high-round draft choice in the 2002 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft which will be conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 4-5.
