Michael Aubrey Tabbed Baseball America All-American
Jan 2, 2003 | Baseball
Jan. 2, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University baseball standout Michael Aubrey claimed his third preseason honor of the 2003 season when he was named first-team All-American Thursday afternoon by Baseball America.
Aubrey, a junior from Shreveport, earned the preseason accolade as an outfielder after a solid 2002 season with the Green Wave and a stellar summer season with Team USA where he set a team wooden-bat record with a .405 batting average. The honor is the third of the 2003 preseason for Aubrey as the left-handed hitter claimed first-team All-America honor from Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
All-America status is not new to Aubrey as he was named National Freshman of the Year from Baseball America, Baseball Weekly and The Sporting News in 2001. He also claimed Freshman All-America honors from the three publications as well as Collegiate Baseball.
Last season, Aubrey was a preseason All-American as well, and was well on his way to claiming the post season destinction before a back injury suffered on April 23 limited him to a designated hitter role the rest of the way. Despite the injury, Aubrey still led the team and Conference USA with seven sacrifice flies while finishing second on the team in RBI (52) and third on the squad in home runs (7), doubles (11), batting average (.316), slugging percentage (.507) and on-base percentage (.375).
On the mound, Aubrey went 8-1, including a pair of four-game winning streaks, and a 4.45 ERA. He did not allow an earned run in three of his 11 appearances, including a seven-inning, three-hit showing at Memphis on April 6.
With the U.S. National team this summer, his third stint with Team USA, Aubrey became the first player in the program's history to hit over .400 with a wooden bat and led the team in five offensive categories. In addition to pacing the squad with a .405 batting average, Aubrey also led the National Team in hits(45), home runs (6), RBI (26) and runs scored (25) en route to earning USA Baseball Amateur Athlete of the Year honors and a spot on Baseball America's Summer League All-America Team.
Aubrey is joined on the Baseball America Preseason All-America first-team by fellow Louisiana college Rickie Weeks, a second baseman from Southern, and fellow C-USA member and 2002 Team USA member Brad Sullivan, a right-handed pitcher from Houston. LSU shortstop Aaron Hill was named to the second-team, as was Houston outfielder Michael Bourn.
Aubrey and the Green Wave open the 2003 season on Feb. 1 with the annual Alumni Game at noon on Feb. 1 at Turchin Stadium before playing host to St. Joseph's in a three-game series beginning Feb. 7.
