O'Neill Named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 8, 2011
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman outfielder Michael O'Neill (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) of the University of Michigan baseball team was selected as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on Wednesday (June 8).
O'Neill, the only Wolverine to start all 54 games this season, led U-M in batting average (.307), hits (67), triples (2) and stolen bases (30). He was named to the All-Big Ten second team and was a unanimous pick to the conference's all-freshman squad on May 24. The freshman was 30-for-38 in stolen-base attempts this year, which leads the league in both categories. O'Neill broke sophomore Patrick Biondi's (Woodhaven, Mich./Divine Child) program stolen-base record by a freshman in the final week of the season, passing Biondi's mark of 29 set in 2010.
O'Neill had hits in 44 of the team's 54 games and started 2011 with a 17-game hitting streak. He showed off his strong arm to the tune of 10 outfield assists, which is tied for eighth in the country. He started the season hitting ninth but quickly rose to third in the order in the third game of the season and then hit leadoff the last three weeks of 2011. O'Neill had the game-winning home run in a 2-1 win over Iowa on April 23 and had a game-winning double in U-M's 7-6 win over Illinois on April 17. He had seven multi-stolen base games and was second on the team with 16 multi-hit games. O'Neill hit .314 with runners in scoring position, had a .356 on-base percentage, and slugged .390.
O'Neill's selection marks the second straight season that a Wolverine has been selected as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, as Biondi earned the honor in 2010.
Contact: Kent Reichert (734) 763-4423
