RELEASE: #PACK9 Trio Named D1Baseball Preseason All-Americans
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State baseball’s Patrick Bailey, Kent Klyman and Will Wilson have been named D1Baseball Preseason All-Americans in advance of the 2019 season.
The Wolfpack is one of just four teams nationally with three players on the team and the only program from the ACC. All three earned a spot on the third team.
Patrick Bailey, So., C
Bailey was a unanimous Freshman All-America selection last season, claiming the honor from all five publications to announce the award, including Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Perfect Game.
The Greensboro, N.C., native turned in a stellar rookie season to earn ACC Freshman of the Year. Bailey led all freshmen in the ACC in batting average (.321), home runs (13), total bases (113) and slugging percentage (.604).
He was tabbed a Second Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team selection, in addition to being an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region honoree. Bailey set the NC State freshman home run record with 13 long balls in his initial season, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 held by Colt Morton.
The switch-hitting catcher made history against William & Mary, when he became the first Wolfpack player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game.
Bailey's .604 slugging percentage led the Pack, was the fourth highest in the ACC and best for a freshman. He logged the second most multi-hit games on the team with 21 and also contributed 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted by two games with five or more RBIs. Bailey threw out 11 runners on the base paths and recorded a .983 fielding percentage.
He earns his second Preseason All-America honor, as he also received the award from Perfect Game.
Kent Klyman, Jr., LHP
Klyman served as the Wolfpack’s top reliever out of the bullpen last season, as he was second on the team with 31 appearances. That mark tied for the sixth most by an ACC pitcher last season.
He led NC State with eight wins to go along with a 2.34 earned run average (ERA). Klyman’s eight wins tied for the second most in the conference. The junior pitcher threw 61.2 innings as a sophomore and also tallied four saves.
The Jamestown, Va., native struck out 67 batters and walked only 25 batters while allowing just 16 earned runs. He sported a 0.00 ERA through his first 12 outings of the 2018 season. Klyman threw a career-long 4.1 innings against Notre Dame and fanned a career-best six batters in 3.1 innings of relief against UNC-Chapel Hill.
He did not allow an earned run in 22 of his 31 appearances and held opponents to a .204 batting average. Klyman was a part of four combined shutouts by the NC State pitching staff last season.
Will Wilson, Jr., SS
Hailing from Kings Mountain, N.C., Wilson secures his third Preseason All-America honor as he also collected the accolade from Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. He was recently tabbed one of the top 50 prospects for the 2019 MLB Draft by MLB Pipeline.
He spent the summer as a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT) and traveled to Cuba with the team.
After claiming Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball in his initial season with the Wolfpack, Wilson put together a .307 batting average as a sophomore to go along with 53 RBIs and 15 home runs. He was one of seven Wolfpack players to claim All-ACC honors and one of four named to the first team.
The Pack's shortstop made program history during the season by becoming the first NC State player to claim ACC Player of the Week honors three times in a season. Wilson hit 10 home runs against ACC teams, which tied for the third most in conference games and is the most among returning players. He was named one of 35 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given annually to the top player in collegiate baseball.
Wilson was also selected to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which is presented to the nation's top shortstop. He was tabbed National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and College Sports Madness, along with NCBWA National Hitter of the Week during the season.
NC State will open the 2019 season ranked No. 21 in the Perfect Game and No. 22 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Polls, which marks the 17th consecutive season that the Wolfpack has either started or finished the year ranked among the top 25. The Pack hosts the Bucknell Bison on opening weekend, Feb. 15-17, for a three-game series at Doak Field at Dail Park.