Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has tabbed USF’s Carmine Lane a Freshman All-American.
TAMPA (June 9, 2021) – The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has named the University of South Florida’s Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) a 2021 Freshman All-American, the publication announced on Wednesday.
Lane becomes the 17th Freshman All-American in program history, and the first since former first round pick and current Tampa Bay Rays left-handed pitcher Shane McClanahan (2017).
A redshirt freshman, Lane’s career began at USF during the shortened 2020 season. In 2021, Lane has been the catalyst for the Bulls’ offense.
Hitting out of the leadoff spot over the second half of the season, Lane leads USF in batting average (.315), hits (76), doubles (14), RBI (43), total bases (123). He ranks second on the team in slugging (.510), third in home runs (11) and fourth in on-base percentage (.368).
Lane’s contributions extend into the field as well, after beginning the season in left field he has showcased his versatility by playing stellar defense at third base over the past two months of the 2021 campaign.
Lane earned Second Team All-Conference honors this year and helped lead USF to its first American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship (first overall in 26 years), and the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance after the underdog Bulls won the Gainesville Regional.
USF became just the fifth Regional No. 4 seed to advance to a Super Regional under the current NCAA format.
Ranked No. 16 earlier this week by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, South Florida will take on No. 2 Texas in the best-of-three Austin Super Regional beginning on Saturday, June 12.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 56th season in 2021. The Bulls have won 1,628 games entering the 2021 season and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three since 2015. The Bulls have won four conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt and 1 Metro) and had 126 all-conference selections. USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who appeared in the 2020 World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bulls saw continued success in head coach Billy Mohl’s first season in 2018, reaching 36 wins, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, and making the program’s latest NCAA Tournament appearance while also achieving a ranking in multiple polls for the final two months of the season.
– #GoBulls –
