June 29, 2011
TUCSON, Ariz. - Arizona sophomore baseball players Cole Frenzel and Robert Refsnyder were named to the All-West Region First Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association this week.
Frenzel, a first baseman and an All-Pac-10 honoree, turned in a sensational sophomore campaign for the Wildcats. The native of Dickinson, N.D., hit .346 with 16 doubles, three home runs, 48 runs scored and 48 runs batted in while starting all 60 games on the year. He led all Pac-10 players with a .461 on base average, and matched the school record by reaching base in 59 consecutive game spanning the end of the 2010 season into the middle part of the 2011 season.
Refsnyder, an outfielder and an All-Pac-10 team member, also put together a strong sophomore campaign. The native of Laguna Hills, Calif., hit .329 with 13 doubles, six triples and six home runs to go with 51 runs scored and 55 runs batted in while starting all 60 games. Refsnyder finished tied for the Pac-10 lead in RBI, ranked second in triples and was third in runs scored.
Frenzel, who was draft-eligible as a sophomore, was selected by the New York Mets in the seventh round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft earlier this month. He has until August 15 to either sign a professional contract or return to The University of Arizona for his junior year.
This year's selections mark the third-straight year Arizona has placed at least one player on the ABCA All-West Region teams. In 2010, outfielder Steve Selsky was named to the second team, and first baseman Dillon Baird earned second team honors in 2009. The last first team selection was pitcher Preston Guilmet in 2007, who was also named a second team ABCA All-American that year.
There are 298 Division I baseball teams, which are divided up the ABCA into eight regions, with the West Region including 36 schools. The 36 coaches nominate their players for recognition then vote to select a first and second All-West Region Team.
Arizona finished the 2011 season with a 39-21 overall record. The Wildcats earned an NCAA Regional berth for the seventh time in the last nine seasons, falling one game short of advancing to the Super Regional Round after dropping the College Station Regional Championship game to host Texas A&M, 3-0, earlier this month.
