June 6, 2018
SAN DIEGO -- Casey Schmitt of the San Diego State baseball team was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, the publication announced Wednesday morning. Schmitt was one of just two multiple-position athletes named to the Freshman All-American Team.
Schmitt, who served as SDSU's closer and starting third baseman, proved to be one of the best two-way players outright in 2018, being one of just two players in the country to have an ERA under 2.00 (minimum 15 IP) and drive in 25 or more runs, joined by only Duke senior Jack Labosky.
Schmitt's ERA of 0.28 is the lowest in recorded Aztec history (minimum 30 IP) and the Eastlake HS product finished the season on a 25.2 consecutive scoreless inning streak, with his last earned run allowed coming on St. Patrick's Day against Cal Poly.
In the Mountain West Tournament, Schmitt earned Most Valuable Player honors after earning the win in SDSU's semifinal win over UNLV, throwing three shutout innings with only one hit allowed. In the title game, Schmitt hit a game-tying two-RBI double, leading the way to becoming the first freshman since 2013 to earn Mountain West Tournament MVP.
The San Diego native finished the season with a .157 opponent batting average good for the second-best among all California relievers. Schmitt's nine saves since the start of April paced the nation over the last two months. Schmitt particularly thrived pitching with runners on base, holding opponents to a .098 batting average (6-for-61) in that situation.
At the plate, Schmitt hit .264 with a home run 12 doubles, and 32 RBIs.
Schmitt becomes the 13th Freshman All-American in Aztec history and the first since Chase Calabuig earned the honor in 2015. Five Mountain West freshman joined Schmitt on the Freshman All-American team, including New Mexico's Connor Mang, Nevada's Jake Jackson and Joshua Zamora, and Fresno State's Jamie Arias.
The Aztecs finished the 2018 season with a record of 39-21, capturing its fifth Mountain West Championship in the last six years while also making an appearance at an NCAA Regional for the fifth time in the last six years.