OMAHA, Neb. — LSU outfielder/DH Blake Dean has been named to the Baseball America magazine first-team All-America squad.
Dean, a sophomore from Crestview, Fla., is hitting a team-best .359 (92-for-256) this season with 16 doubles, three triples, 20 homers and 70 RBI.
Dean and his LSU teammates open College World series play at 6 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2) when the Tigers face North Carolina in Rosenblatt Stadium.
Dean is hitting a sizzling .434 (46-for-106) during over the past 26 games, leading LSU to a 25-1 record in that span with 11 doubles, one triple, 12 homers and 38 RBI.
Dean hit .500 (7-for-14) in LSU’s NCAA Super Regional series versus UC Irvine with two doubles, one homer and four RBI. He tied the LSU school record with five hits in Game 3 win of the super regional, collecting two doubles, a three-run homer, two singles and three RBI.
He was named the Most Outstanding Player of NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, leading LSU to the regional title with wins over Texas Southern and Southern Miss (twice). Dean batted .455 (5-for-11) in the regional with one double, one triple, three homers and nine RBI.
Dean was also voted the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament, batting .438 (7-for-16) in four games with three homers, nine RBI and five runs. He unloaded a walk-off solo homer to lift LSU over South Carolina in the tournament opener, and he launched grand slam in a semifinal win over Alabama.
Dean is the 17th LSU player to earn first-team All-America honors in the past 21 seasons, and the first since outfielder Ryan Patterson received the distinction in 2005 from USA Today.