D1Baseball.com First Team All-Americans
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois junior Bren Spillane was named to the D1Baseball.com All-America first team, the organization announced Wednesday. It is Spillane's fourth first-team All-America selection after being selected to the first teams picked by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game.
Spillane joins Josh Klimek (1996) and Tyler Jay (2015) as the only Illini to earn four All-America first-team honors in the same season. Spillane is looking to become the second unanimous All-American in program history, along with Klimek, during the era of multiple All-America publications.
Spillane, Cal's Andrew Vaughn and Texas' Kody Clemens are the only position players in the country to be named to all four All-America first teams that have been announced.
Spillane's long list of accomplishments includes Big Ten Player of the Year, the first player in Big Ten history to win three straight conference player of the week awards, the first player in Illinois history to win two national player of the week awards, the nation's leading slugging percentage (.903), OPS (1.401) and home runs per game (0.46) and the second-best slugging percentage in Big Ten history.
Spillane was the first player in program history to hit 15 homers and steal 15 bases in the same season. His combo of power and speed help him lead the Big Ten in batting average (.389), slugging percentage (.903), on-base percentage (.498), OPS (1.401), home runs (23), RBIs (60) and total bases (158).
The Cincinnati Reds singed Spillane to a professional contract Tuesday. He was drafted No. 82 overall, the highest selected position player in Illinois program history.
D1Baseball.com First Team All-Americans
First Team
C Adley Rutschman, Oregon State
1B Andrew Vaughn, California
2B Kody Clemens, Texas
3B Jonathan India, Florida
SS Terrin Vavra, Minnesota
OF Seth Beer, Clemson
OF Devlin Granberg, Dallas Baptist
OF Trevor Larnach, Oregon State
DH Bren Spillane, Illinois
SP Colton Eastman, Cal State Fullerton
SP Logan Gilbert, Stetson
SP Blaine Knight, Arkansas
SP Nick Sandlin, Southern Miss
SP Brady Singer, Florida (Player of the Year)
RP Michael Byrne, Florida
RP Jack Little, Stanford
UT Brooks Wilson, Stetson
Spillane Stats and Notes
• 2018 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year
• 2018 D1Baseball.com All-America First Team
• 2018 Baseball America All-America First Team
• 2018 Perfect Game All-America First Team
• 2018 Collegiate Baseball All-America First Team
• 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year
• 2018 Big Ten regular season triple crown (.407, 22 HR, 57 RBIs)
• 2018 Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten
• Drafted No. 82 overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2018 MLB Draft
• Leads the nation in slugging percentage (.903)
• Leads the nation in OPS (1.401)
• Leads the nation in home runs per game (0.46)
• Leads the nation in weighted on-base average (.569)
• Ranks third in the nation in home runs (23), ninth in total bases (158), ninth in on-base percentage (.498), 12th in RBIs per game (1.20), 15th in runs per game (1.14) and 17th in batting average (.389)
• One of two players in the nation with 20+ homers and 15+ stolen bases
• Only player in Division I history to slug over .900 in the BBCOR bat era
• First player in Division I to slug over .900 for a season since 2009 (Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee State, .930)
• First Power 5 player to lead the nation in slugging at over .900 since Pat Burrell (.948) for Miami (Fla.) in 1996
• No. 2 in Big Ten history in slugging percentage for a season (Darrin Fletcher, Illinois, 1987, .913)
• No. 1 in the nation in career slugging percentage among active players with two or more seasons (.723)
• No. 1 in Illinois history in career slugging percentage (.723)
• First player in Big Ten history to win three straight Big Ten Player of the Week awards (3/19-4/2/18)
• First player in Illinois history to win national player of the week honors twice
• Led the Big Ten in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, home runs, RBIs and total bases
• Illinois single-season ranks include second in slugging (.903), second in home runs (23), second in Big Ten home runs (10), tied for fourth in total bases (158), tied for fourth in Big Ten total bases (67) and fifth in on-base percentage (.498)