Baseball: Andrew Pratt named Freshman All-American

Add another accolade to the New Mexico baseball team’s season.

Local product Andrew Pratt has earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors, according to Collegiate Baseball News. 

UNM baseball's twitter account first made the announcement on Wednesday morning.

Injuries at the catcher position allowed Pratt to play a major role on the road to New Mexico’s NCAA appearance When DH/Catcher Chris DeVito was harmed with various ailments, Pratt's number was called, and the Albuquerque native thrived.

Hailing from La Cueva High School just a season ago, Pratt batted .326 in 23 starts for UNM in its 2016 campaign, scoring 19 runs, batting in 16 RBI’s, hitting five homeruns (two in the postseason), and collecting 12 extra-base hits.

"It's a cool feeling to be named a Freshman All-American," Pratt said in a UNM release. "However my main goal all season was to focus on getting the team through the postseason. I wouldn't be here without my teammates, who were a big help throughout my first year."

Though Pratt got a late start to claim the label of an everyday starter, he wouldn't lose the job and started every single game after May 1. Prior to May, Pratt only had six starts behind the dish.

Freshman All-Americans have now become a regular under New Mexico head coach Ray Birmingham. In nine seasons, The Lobo skipper has produced nine players who have received the accolade in his nine years as the head of UNM's baseball program. 

Pratt has extended the Lobos' Freshman All-American streak to six consecutive seasons. Cory Voss, Tyler Stevens, and Carl Stajduhar all received the award for their efforts in 2015-2016.

Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.