UT's Melendez named Collegiate Baseball's national player of the year
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez was the best college baseball player in the country this season, according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Along with his selection as a first-team All-American, Melendez became the fourth Longhorn to be named the publication's player of the year. He joins Brooks Kieschnick (1993), Scott Bryant (1989) and Greg Swindell (1986) as Collegiate Baseball's national players of the year.
Melendez is helping the Longhorns to a historic season offensively, leading the country in home runs with a school-record 29. He hit the record-breaking blast against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference tournament championship game May 29, surpassing Kyle Russell's record of 28 set in 2007.
Melendez leads the county in slugging percentage at .903 with 196 total bases. He's second in the country with 87 RBIs, fourth in on-base percentage at .522 and eighth in batting average at .406. He was also named the Big 12 player of the year, the first Longhorn since Kody Clemens in 2018.
The publication released its full All-America teams, and it includes both Texas and Texas State players.
Texas State relief pitcher Tristan Stivors was also named a first-team All-American. He's picked up seven wins on the mound with a 2.42 ERA in 30 appearances, but he also leads the country with 17 saves. In 52 innings pitched, Stivors has 72 strikeouts and just 16 walks.
The Bobcats hit the road for the postseason and will play Friday against UC-Santa Barbara at the Stanford Regional in Palo Alto, California. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
UT starting pitcher Pete Hansen and outfielder Murphy Stehly were named second-team all-Americans after tremendous seasons. Hansen is 10-1 with a 3.01 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings. Stehly is seventh in the country with 92 hits, including 21 doubles and 17 home runs. Stehly is hitting .377 and has 166 total bases.
Texas State shortstop Dalton Shuffield was named a second-team All-American after helping the Bobcats to a school-record 45 wins and Sun Belt Conference regular season title. Shuffield is hitting .397 with 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases.