Tennessee outfielder Alerick Soularie received an honorable mention on Rawlings/Perfect Game’s All-American team on Wednesday afternoon.
Soularie, a JUCO signee out of San Jacinto Community College, burst onto the scene for the Vols this season, helping lead the program to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
The Houston, Texas native led Tennessee in batting average (.357), runs scored (52), slugging percentage (.602), and on-base percentage (.466). He also ranked second on the team in hits (70), home runs (11), runs batted in (46), and total bases (118).
Soularie is just the second Tennessee player to earn postseason All-American recognition by Perfect Game. Former Vol Nick Senzel earned first-team accolades in 2016 before being selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.
Among SEC hitters, Soularie was one of the best. He finished in the top three in slugging percentage and on-base percentage in the conference. The sophomore slugger also finished the year ranked fifth in batting average (.364), eighth in hits (40), and tied for ninth in runs scored (28) during conference play. Because of his play, Soularie was one of the three outfielders on the All-SEC First Team.
Soularie also earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors on Wednesday, as voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He wasn’t the only Vol to earn honors though, as junior reliever Redmond Walsh and junior third baseman Andre Lipcius joined Soularie. All three were voted to the South All-Region Second Team.
Lipcius led the team in hits (73), home runs (17), RBI (58), plate appearances (237), and total bases (139). He was second on the team in runs (51), doubles (15), and walks (31). He started at third base in all 61 games for Tennessee this season and helped lead the Vols to the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2005.
On Wednesday, Lipcius signed with the Detroit Tigers for the full slot value of $733,100. The Tigers drafted him with the 83rd overall pick in the 3rd round of last week’s 2019 MLB Draft.
Walsh was Tennessee’s best reliever out of the bullpen this season. He finished the season 2-2 with a team-best 1.38 ERA. The Alcoa, Tennessee native struck out 48 batters through 45.2 innings of work.
Though he didn’t begin the season as the Vols closer, Walsh quickly claimed the role and ran with it. He picked up nine saves, which tied for fifth-most in a single season in UT history with Andrew Lee (2005) and Randy MacNeil (1992).
