SAN DIEGO – In a seemingly endless string of honors, San Diego State's TJ Fondtain (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS) collected his fourth All-America award of the season on Friday when he received second-team recognition as a utility player from D1Baseball.com.
Earlier this month, Fondtain garnered second-team All-America accolades from Collegiate Baseball newspaper and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA/Rawlings) before meriting third-team plaudits by Baseball America on June 28. In addition, the Aztec junior earned first-team ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region distinction.
With his recognition, Fondtain becomes the first SDSU player to receive All-America distinction from four different outlets since Stephen Strasburg and Addison Reed were consensus selections in 2009.
The 2023 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, Fondtain developed into the bona fide ace of the Aztec staff, logging a 7-4 record for the season with a 2.82 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 92.2 innings across 15 starts. The Clovis, California, product led the MW in several categories, including ERA, fewest earned allowed (29), opposing batting average (.192), innings pitched and games started while tying for the top spot in victories.
Fondtain was instrumental in helping SDSU clinch a share of the Mountain West regular-season championship, posting a stellar 7-1 record against conference opponents, leading the league in victories, ERA (2.27), opposing batting average (.157), and innings pitched (67.1) while ranking second in strikeouts (73) and earned runs allowed (17) vs. MW foes.
On the national level, Fondtain finished ninth in the country with a 0.96 WHIP for the season and was slotted 13th with an average of 6.22 hits per nine innings.
Fondtain emerged on the national scene after tossing the eighth no-hitter in program history to highlight SDSU's 4-0 home shutout of Nevada on April 21. The Aztec left-hander came tantalizingly close to a perfect game, issuing one walk to lead off the ninth inning.
With his performance, Fondtain earned multiple national honors, including Pitcher of the Week distinction from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and D1Baseball.com, along with his selection as Peak Performer of the Week from the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.
Not to be outdone, Fondtain displayed his versatility at the plate during the season, compiling a .272 batting average with a team-high nine home runs. The Aztec junior also topped the squad with a .879 OPS and ranked second with 35 RBIs, logging 26 starts at designated hitter and 16 in left field.
For his efforts, Fondtain was named one of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award by the College Baseball Foundation. The award will be presented later this summer.
After an 0-5 start to the 2023 campaign, San Diego State regrouped to claim a share of the Mountain West regular-season title with an 18-11 mark in conference play. The Aztecs' MW regular-season championship was the program's third overall and first since 2004.
2023 TJ FONDTAIN POSTSEASON HONORS
Second-Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball, ABCA/Rawlings, D1Baseball.com)
Third-Team All-American (Baseball America)
First-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region Selection
Mountain West Pitcher of the Year
First-Team All-Mountain West Selection
John Olerud National Two-Way Player of the Year Award Finalist
TJ Fondtain Merits Fourth All-America Award
