Georgia outfielder Hunter Cole was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball on Friday.
Cole, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Moore, S.C., hit a team-best seven home runs and batted .276 with 23 RBIs in his first season. He made 50 starts and was selected to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshmen Team by the league coaches. Defensively, Cole led all Bulldog outfielders with seven assists while fielding .978 in 93 chances.
Cole had a team-best 19-game stretch where he reached base and tied for the longest hitting streak at 14 games. In SEC action, Cole batted .278 with three home runs and eight RBIs. He had a perfect fielding percentage in 47 total chances, including five assists. He earned a spot on the UGA Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll, too.
Cole is the 23rd Bulldog to be honored as a Freshman All-American and the first since shortstop Kyle Farmer in 2010. Cole was one of 14 outfielders selected by the publication as Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans. Collegiate Baseball’s 2012 Freshman Player of the Year is outfielder Michael Conforto of Oregon State. He hit .349 with a Pac-12-best 13 home runs and 76 RBI. The Collegiate Baseball Freshman Pitcher of the Year is Carlos Rodon (N.C. State). who went 9-0 with a 1.61 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.
