D1Baseball names Jacob Gonzalez Freshman of the Year

Published 10:49 am Monday, July 12, 2021

Ole Miss baseball players continue to receive postseason accolades for their performance during the 2021 season.

On Monday, D1Baseball named Jacob Gonzalez its Freshman of the Year. It is the first time the Rebels have had a freshman receive the honor in program history.

Gonzalez also earned First Team Freshman All-American honors as did teammate TJ McCants, who was named Second Team Freshman All-American.

Starting every game at shortstop this season, Gonzalez led the Rebels in batting average (.355), runs scored (73) and hits (93). The Glendora, Calif. native set single-season freshman records in games played (67), runs scored (73), runs batted in (55), total bases (147) and walks (38). Gonzalez also led the Southeastern Conference in hits and runs scored when the Rebels season ended, ranking him fourth in the nation in those categories.

Gonzalez also earned All-America honors from D1Baseball and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA also named Gonzalez a Freshman All-American along with D1Baseball. Gonzalez joined former Rebel Stephen Head as only the second player in program history to be named an All-American as a freshman.

McCants became the 26th Freshman All-American in program history, marking the seventh straight season where Ole Miss has had multiple Freshman All-Americans. He is the first Rebel outfielder to be named Freshman All-American since J.B. Woodman in 2014.

Spending the fall and offseason as a middle infielder, McCants moved to center field three weeks into the season. McCants led the Rebels was was tied for fifth in the SEC with a .351 batting average in conference play, including four doubles, a triple and five home runs.