2016 Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-American Team

2016 Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-American Team

CONWAY - Coastal Carolina junior shortstop Michael Paez was named to the 2016 Louisville Slugger Pre-Season All-American first team as selected by Collegiate Baseball.

Paez (Miami, Fla./Sunset Senior HS) batted .326 last season while being selected first team All-Big South and second team All-Atlantic Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association as well as being one of 25 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation's top shortstop.

Among the NCAA leaders last season, Paez ranked 11th in sacrifice bunts (16), 43rd in runs scored (58), 69th in hit by pitches (14), 81st in stolen bases (19), 125th in doubles (17), 157th in on base percentage (.436), 189th in total bases (113), 194th in home runs (8) and 212th in slugging percentage (.526). Overall in the Big South statistics, he was the only player to rank among the league's top 10 in runs scored (2nd, 58); stolen bases (4th, 19), doubles (7th, 17); on base percentage (6th, .436), slugging percentage (7th, .526) and total bases (8th, 113). He additionally ranked 11th in RBI (42), 12th in walks (29) and 20th in batting average (.326).

Paez reached base safely (by hit, walk, hit by pitch) in each of his last 13 games of the 2015 season and, overall last season, reached base safely in 54 of 59 games played with streaks of 14 games and 23 games as well.

In addition to his offensive prowess, Paez ranked second in the Big South with 177 assists and he was part of 41 double plays as Coastal Carolina finished the season second nationally by turning 66 double plays.

Paez carried his strong play into the summer and was named to the 2015 Cape Cod Year-end All-League Team as well as being a mid-season All-Star. He was additionally named the Cotuit Kettleers' Offensive MVP as he batted a team-best .295 -- 14th-best in the league and led his team in runs scored (17), hits (38), doubles (7), walks (21) and stolen bases (8). His 17 runs scored tied for 20th-best in the league, his seven doubles tied for 13th, his 21 walks ranked seventh and his eight stolen bases tied for 16th.

Paez is the first Chanticleer to be selected a preseason first team All-American since Anthony Meo prior to the 2011 season.