Junior catcher Sean Murphy of the Wright State baseball team has been named Third Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and D1 Baseball.
Murphy (Dayton, OH/Centerville) was one of 20 semifinalists last season for the Johnny Bench Award, which is presented annually to the top collegiate catcher in the country. He earned First Team All-Horizon League honors as he hit .329, good for ninth in the league, with 36 RBI and 52 runs scored, good for fourth in the league. Behind the plate, Murphy threw out 17 would-be basestealers, 11 of those coming during league play. In 29 conference games, Murphy hit .325 with 18 RBI and 22 runs scored.
Murphy was named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team in 2015 as he led the squad with nine hits and a .474 average and tied for the team lead with seven runs scored. He then was selected to the NCAA Champaign Regional All-Tournament Team as he hit .375 with five RBI, five runs scored, three doubles and a.474 on-base percentage.
This summer, Murphy was chosen to the Cape Cod League All-Star Team while playing for the Orleans Cardinals.
The Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2014, Murphy was a Second Team All-Horizon League selection that season and was named Academic All-Horizon League in 2015.
"I am really excited for Sean and our program for him to be named a Preseason All American," said Wright State head coach Greg Lovelady. "He has worked really hard during his time here and this is something he undoubtedly deserves."
"It's great that both he and our program are receiving some well-deserved national attention," added Lovelady. "These type of awards are more a testament of the past and I am more excited about the future with Sean as I truly believe his best is yet to come."
The Perfect Game Preseason All-American teams consist of 17 players each, with three full teams listed below, including detailed reports on all of the players listed on the first team. The players are selected based on a balance of past performance, 2016 expectations and their prospective talent relative to the MLB Draft.
Wright State won the Horizon League Tournament title in Whiting, Indiana, and made its fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA Division I Regionals in 2015, advancing to the finals for the first-time ever. The Raiders, who posted the second-most wins in a season in program history with 43, defeated Ohio and Notre Dame in Champaign, Illinois, for their first NCAA victories since 1994 and received votes in the final USA Today Coaches and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association polls.
WSU opens the 2016 campaign on Friday, February 19, with the opening game of a four-game series at Elon starting at 4:00. The home opener for the Raiders is set for Tuesday, March 8, with a 6:30 contest against Xavier at Nischwitz Stadium.
The 12th annual Wright State First Pitch Banquet will be held on Friday, February 5, at 6:30 on the main arena floor in WSU's Nutter Center. Current major league pitcher and local native Justin Masterson will be the keynote speaker.
