Feb. 5, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - With just two weeks remaining before the start of the 2010 baseball season, University of Tennessee junior Cody Hawn continued to add to his already impressive résumé on Friday as he was named to the Baseball America Preseason All-America Third Team.

The award is his third preseason All-American selection of the year, as he also earned Louisville Slugger first-team accolades from Collegiate Baseball newspaper and third-team honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writeres Association.

Baseball America annually polls major league scouting directors to vote on the team and make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. In the past, the preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success. For example, 11 of the 15 college players drafted in the first round last June appeared on Baseball America's preseason All-America list--eight of them on the first team. And for the second year in a row, 11 of last year's preseason All-Americans played for teams that reached the College World Series.

As a sophomore in 2009, Hawn became just the 10th Vol to ever win the team Triple Crown, leading the team in batting average (.364), home runs (22), RBIs (81), hits (72), doubles (15) and slugging percentage (.773). Hawn's 22 homers rank second on Tennessee's all-time list, while he also ranks in the top-10 for a season in RBIs (third), total bases (ninth) and slugging percentage (seventh).

The hard-hitting lefty collected a team-best 22 multi-hit games as well as 21 multi-RBI games. Hawn batted .422 against right-handed pitchers and .381 with runners in scoring position along with hitting .321 in SEC play with 34 hits, nine home runs and 34 RBIs.

A local Knoxville product, Hawn spent this past summer playing with the Hyannis Mets in the prestigious Cape Cod League. The 5-11 first baseman was the team's top offensive threat, recording a stellar .375 batting average with four home runs and 14 RBIs in just 15 games.

For more information, including a complete list of the Baseball America Preseason All-America team selections, visit BaseballAmerica.com.