Long Beach State University Athletics
Garrett Hampson Named to ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team
6/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach, Calif. - After winning the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award, Long Beach State shortstop Garrett Hampson has been honored for his stellar defense by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The Reno, Nev. native was included as the shortstop on the 2016 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team, becoming the first Dirtbags player to receive the honor.
Only nine players (one at each defensive position) are included on the exclusive team, meaning Hampson was voted as the best defensive shortstop in the nation by all college baseball head coaches. The Gold Glove Team was started in 2007, making this the 10th edition of the award.
Hampson made just three errors in the regular season, finishing the year with a .982 fielding percentage. He anchored what was one of the better defensive teams in the nation during the season—LBSU ranked 19th in the country with a .977 fielding percentage in 2016. Hampson was a Preseason All-American prior to the 2016 campaign and was recently named to the ABCA's West All-Region Team, regarding him as the elite shortstop on the West Coast.
Following his highly productive junior season, Hampson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 81st pick in the MLB Draft. He officially signed with the Rockies last week and was assigned to the Class A Short Season Boise Hawks.
NCAA Div. I Gold Glove Team
Pos. Player Cl. School State
C Will Smith Jr. Louisville KY
1B Evan White Jr. Kentucky KY
2B Tony Butler Jr. Indiana IN
3B Jake Burger So. Missouri State MO
SS Garrett Hampson Jr. Long Beach State CA
OF Cole Billingsley Jr. South Alabama AL
OF Austin Grebeck Jr. Oregon OR
OF Kyle Lewis Jr. Mercer GA
P Dustin Beggs Sr. Kentucky KY
