LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville third baseman Alex Binelas added his second Freshman All-America honor on Monday, as he was one of 32 players recognized by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Binelas was named to the first team by the NCBWA after garnering the same honor from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last week. The Oak Creek, Wisconsin, native is the 17th player in program history to earn freshman All-America honors and 14th under head coach Dan McDonnell.
The third baseman is hitting .307 in the middle of the Louisville order this season, with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs. His home run total is a team high and made him the first UofL freshman with double digit homers since Chris Dominguez in 2007.
Binelas had a slow start to his collegiate career, but put together a torrid middle third of the season to become a mainstay in the Louisville starting lineup. From March 26-April 30, Binelas hit .453 (34-for-75) with 10 doubles, four triples and six home runs, while driving in 28 and scoring 32 times in just 20 games. The stretch saw his average peak at .369 and helped him earn a pair of ACC Player of the Week honors, as well as Perfect Game National Player of the Week recognition for April 22-28.
The freshman has continued his outstanding in the postseason, including the game-winning hit against Illinois State in the NCAA Louisville Regional that sent the Cardinals into the Super Regional. Four of his eight postseason hits have gone for extra bases and he has driven in seven.
Binelas and the Cardinals are preparing for the start of the 2019 College World Series, where they will take on No. 2 Vanderbilt in their first game in Omaha, Nebraska, this weekend.
