Four Aggies Earn Preseason All-SEC Accolades

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies had four players named to the Preseason All-SEC Team as voted on by the league's coaches. Second baseman Ryne Birk and outfielder Nick Banks earned First Team status and first baseman Hunter Melton and relief pitcher Ryan Hendrix were named to the Second Team.
 
The Aggies trailed only Florida in players recognized. The Gators had six players on the team. Arkansas and LSU each had three players honored.
 
Birk hit .275 in 2015 with 11 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 35 RBI.
 
Banks has earned Preseason All-America recognition from all four nationally recognized organizations and was placed on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List by USA Baseball. The junior hit .364 with 11 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 48 RBI in 2015.
 
Melton batted .300 last season with nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 37 RBI.
 
Hendrix pitched in 23 games as a sophomore, logging a 6-4 record with five saves and a 3.66 ERA. He registered 69 strikeouts in 59.0 innings. In his 18 games out of the bullpen in 2015, Hendrix with 5-2 with five saves, a 0.73 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 37.0 innings. He was tabbed to the D1Baseball.com Preseason All-America Team and placed on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.

Texas A&M is coming off a 2015 campaign in which they finished 50-14, the highest win total for the Aggies since 1999. They extended their school-record string of consecutive NCAA Championship appearances to nine seasons and claimed their seventh overall NCAA Regional title. The Maroon and White started the 2015 season with an SEC-record 24-game win streak.
 
Rob Childress' Aggies begin the 2016 season on February 19 as they host the Hofstra Pride in a three-game series on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
 
2016 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Teams
 
First Team
C – JJ Schwarz, Florida
1B – Peter Alonso, Florida
2B – Ryne Birk, Texas A&M
SS – Ryan Howard, Missouri
3B – Nick Senzel, Tennessee
OF – Nick Banks, Texas A&M
OF – Buddy Reed, Florida
OF – Anfernee Grier, Auburn
DH/UT – JJ Schwarz, Florida
SP – Alex Lange, LSU
SP – A.J. Puk, Florida*
SP – Logan Shore, Florida*
RP – Zach Jackson, Arkansas
 
Second Team
C – Mike Rivera, Florida
1B – Evan White, Kentucky*
1B – Hunter Melton, Texas A&M*
2B – Rick Nomura, Arkansas
SS – Errol Robinson, Ole Miss
3B – Will Toffey, Vanderbilt
OF – Bryan Reynolds, Vanderbilt
OF – Stephen Wrenn, Georgia
OF – Jake Fraley, LSU
DH/UT – Clark Eagan, Arkansas
SP – Tanner Houck, Missouri
SP – Robert Tyler, Georgia*
SP – Jared Poche', LSU*
RP – Ryan Hendrix, Texas A&M
 
* - Ties were not broken