Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-Americans
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois second baseman Michael Massey was named to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Preseason All-America Third Team, the publication announced Monday.
Massey was the nation's top defensive second baseman last year, earning the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and is one of the top returning hitters in the Big Ten. As a sophomore in 2018, Massey hit .326 with 17 doubles, three triples, six homers and 46 RBIs on his way to All-Region first team honors.
Massey led the Big Ten in hits during conference games in 2018 (37) and ranked second in RBIs (25), third in total bases (62), fourth in doubles (9) and eighth in batting average (.356) and slugging (.596) against conference opponents. He was in the Illini's top two in nearly every offensive category, leading the team in doubles, triples, hits, two-hit games and three-hit games and ranking second in nearly every other category behind 2018 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year Bren Spillane.
The Brother Rice product and Palos Park, Illinois, native went on a 60-game errorless streak between his freshman and sophomore seasons and made only one error in 53 games in 2018. Massey has started all 104 games for the Illini since arriving in Champaign for the 2017 season.
Massey, Minnesota RHP Patrick Frederickson (2nd), Indiana UTL Matt Lloyd (2nd) and Minnesota RHP Max Meyer (3rd) represented the Big Ten on Collegiate Baseball's All-America lists.
