Bittle, Lynn Named ABCA All-Region Selections

OXFORD, Miss. Junior right-handers Scott Bittle and Lance Lynn were named All-South Region Second Team selections by the American Baseball Coaches Association the organization announced on Wednesday.

The team included three conference players of the year: Gordon Beckham (Georgia, SEC), Clay Whittemore (Jacksonville State/Ohio Valley) and Chris Dominguez (Louisville, Big East), as well as two conference pitchers of the year in Joshua Fields (Georgia, SEC) and Christian Friedrich (Eastern Kentucky/Ohio Valley).

Eight Southeastern Conference schools were represented with 19 of the 29 players on the All-South Region teams from the league. The Big East and Conference USA had three players from their conferences, while the Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley had two.

“We are very proud of Scott and Lance and the honors they have received this season,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Certainly both of these young men are worthy of the distinctions they have earned.”

Bittle took the Southeastern Conference by storm this season, leading the league in strikeouts with 118 in the season and finished with 130 following the NCAA Regional in Miami. The 130 strikeouts is third on the Ole Miss single season list. Bittle posted a 7-1 record and picked up eight saves on the year, putting him seventh on the Rebels’ single season saves list. His 15 saves for his career is third all-time.

Bittle was named an All-SEC second team selection as a reliever this year and was named as a finalist for the Stopper of the Year and a semi-finalist for the Clemens Award. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 MLB First Year Player Draft by the New York Yankees with the 75th overall pick.

Lynn, who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 39th overall pick in the supplemental first round, was the first Rebel selected in the 2008 MLB draft and joins former Rebel third baseman Chris Coghlan as recent players taken within the first 40 picks of the MLB Draft. Coghlan was selected with the 36th pick by the Florida Marlins in the 2006 season.

Lynn posted a 7-4 record in the 2008 season as the Friday starter for the Rebels and posted 110 strikeouts on the year, second most on the team. Lynn shattered the career strikeout record as the 110 strikeouts pushed him to 332 for his career and made him the only Rebel pitcher to record more than 300 strikeouts. The junior was also a preseason candidate for the Brooks Wallace Award and the Clemens Award.

The junior set the single-season strikeout record as a sophomore when he notched 146 strikeouts and posted an 8-5 record. A two-time All-SEC selection, Lynn posted a career record of 22-12 with the 22 wins tying for fifth on the career wins list at Ole Miss.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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