By Max Calderone | Lariat Radio Director
Baylor baseball’s sophomore catcher Shea Langeliers was named a 2018 second-team Preseason All-American by Perfect Game/Rawlings.
After a breakout freshman campaign, in which he hit .313 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI, Langeliers is adding another accolade to an already impressive resume.
“It’s a huge honor to be selected as a Preseason All-American,” Langeliers said. “It shows that all the hard work that my teammates and I have put in is paying off.”
Langeliers was named to four 2017 Freshman All-American teams for his record-setting rookie season, becoming the first player in program history to earn the honors from three or more different publications (Baseball America, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Collegiate Baseball, and Perfect Game/Rawlings). His 10 home runs broke the record for Baylor freshmen catchers, and he was one short of the program’s all-time freshman home run record of 11, set by Max Muncy in 2010.
Baylor head coach Steve Rodriguez said that it is Langeliers’ non-stop work mentality that helps him be one of the best in college baseball.
“Shea is probably one of the best catchers in the country,” Rodriguez said. “He is a tremendous player and his work ethic allows him to be one of the best in the college game.”
The Perfect Game/Rawlings Preseason All-American teams consist of 17 players, each on a first, second and third team. Langeliers is one of seven players from the Big 12 Conference named to one of the three teams. Players are selected based on their past performance, upcoming expectations and prospective talent regarding the MLB Draft.
Langeliers is widely considered a top prospect for the 2019 MLB Draft, especially at his position. D1baseball.com named him the top catcher and No. 8 overall prospect of players that participated in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2017.
“Having Shea be recognized by other coaches and publications really emphasizes the success our program is having right now,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully more will come in the future.”
In Rodriguez’s second season, Baylor returned to postseason play for the first time in five years and finished the 2017 season at 34-23. The Bears were the first team eliminated in the Houston Regional after losing to Texas A&M 8-5 and Houston 17-3.
“As a program, this shows that our coaching staff is second to none and they won’t stop until they get their players where they want to be,” Langeliers said.
Baylor will open its 2018 season on Feb. 16 at home against Purdue.
