June 4, 2008

2008 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team

ARLINGTON, Texas - - UT Arlington outfielder Michael Choice says he was just like any other freshman when the Mavericks started practice last fall. He just wanted to find a way to get into the lineup and then perform well enough to play every day.

It's safe to say that Choice did a little better than that.

Collegiate Baseball Magazine released its "Louisville Slugger" Freshman All-America Team on Wednesday, and Choice has landed on the squad alongside the nation's best first-year players. Choice, a Mansfield resident and UTA's every-day center fielder, earned the honor by leading the Mavericks with a .376 average.

"Wow, that's quite an honor and something I wasn't really expecting," Choice said. "To be recognized on that team, it makes a person feel pretty proud. When I came in, I was really just trying to help the team and do well enough that the coaches would keep putting me out there."

UTA first-year coach Darin Thomas says he noticed right away that Choice had potential to be a special player. Choice was inked into the batting order on Opening Day in the leadoff spot and went 2-for-4 in his first collegiate game. He also drove in a run that day back in February.

From there, Choice continued to perform with consistency. In the fourth game of the year, he went 4-for-4 and was off to a 7-for-15 start to his collegiate career.

"It was pretty obvious when he first came in there that the ball came off his bat a little different than a few other guys," said Thomas, who has been with the Mavericks program for nine years. "He just hit it a little harder. This honor for him is well-deserved and pretty impressive. He has performed as well as any freshman we've had here since I've been around, and there have been some very good baseball players in that time frame."

A 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter, Choice led the Mavericks with seven homers and drove in 51 runs. He had a .558 slugging percentage and .440 on-base average. Choice also committed just three errors in 132 chances through 50 games in center field.

Choice had 24 games in which he had at least two hits. Even more impressive was his performances against the tougher teams on UTA's schedule. Against teams from the Big 12 Conference - Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma - he went 12-for-26 with 5 runs scored, seven runs batted in, three doubles and two homers.

"That's what really stands out," Thomas said. "The better the competition, the better he performed. That's the sign of a good baseball palyer."

Choice joins one other Southland Conference player on the Freshman All-America Team. Trey Hernandez of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was picked at first base.

After hearing the news that he had been picked, Choice said he was clear was his next move would be.

"I'm going to call my dad," Choice said. "I'll probably do that in the next five seconds."