Long Beach State University Athletics
Darren McCaughan Named ABCA All-American
6/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach, Calif. - The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced its 2016 NCAA Div. I All-American Teams on Saturday, and Long Beach State's Darren McCaughan has been included on the second team. The teams were chosen by the ABCA All-America committee of head coaches at a meeting in Omaha, prior to the College World Series. The announcement comes just days after McCaughan was named to the 2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I West All-Region Team.
The last time a Dirtbags player was named an ABCA All-American was in 2006, when Evan Longoria was a third team All-America selection. The season prior, Neil Jamison was a second team selection for Long Beach State, with Jered Weaver earning first-team recognition from the ABCA in 2004. This is the second All-American honor for McCaughan, who was also named a second team Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
McCaughan was the 2016 Big West Pitcher of the Year after going 10-1 with a 2.03 ERA in his first full season as a starter. His one-hit shutout of San Jose State on May 14 was his signature performance, but the sophomore righthander was also very consistent, recording a quality start in all but two of his 16 outings.
At the midpoint of the season, McCaughan was one of 60 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. The Downey, Calif. native was also a two-time Big West Pitcher of the Week, finishing in the top two in the conference in ERA, opponent's batting average, innings pitched, and wins.
McCaughan is one of three Big West representatives on the ABCA All-American teams. UC Santa Barbara's junior starting pitcher Shane Bieber joins McCaughan on the second team and Cal State Fullerton OF Dalton Blaser is on the third team.
