June 1, 1998
NOTRE DAME, Ind.–Notre Dame sophomore third baseman Brant Ust (Redmond, Wash.) has been named a third team All-American by Baseball America, becoming just the third Notre Dame player ever named to the magazine’s prestigious all-star team. Ust combines with freshman righthanded reliever Aaron Heilman–a third team All-American according to Collegiate Baseball magazine–in giving the Irish baseball team its first pair of All-Americans ever on the same team (BA named only three All-American relief pitchers while CB named seven).
Ust joins Heilman as the second Irish freshman or sophomore ever named to an All-America baseball team. He is the sixth Notre Dame player to be named an All-American by either BA, CB or the American Baseball Coaches Association (TBA for ’98). Junior outfielder Ryan Topham was a third-team selection by the ABCA in 1995. Outfielder Eric Danapilis was a consensus first team All-American as a senior in ’93 while outfielder Dan Peltier earned first team honors from BA and the ABCA as a junior in ’89. Catcher Elmer Kohorst was an ABCA first team All-American as a junior in 1956 and again in ’57.
A first team All-BIG EAST second baseman and BIG EAST rookie of the year in 1997, Ust returned this season to capture the 1998 BIG EAST player of the year award. He led the BIG EAST in 19 conference games with the highest BIG EAST batting avg. during the 1990s (.493). Ust also led the BIG EAST in conference slugging pct. (.960) and on-base pct. (.530) while tying for second with eight BIG EAST home runs and ranking seventh with 26 conference RBI. He hit .373 overall (81-for-217) and ranked among the leaders in the following BIG EAST categories for all games: first in home runs (18), fourth in doubles (20), fourth in hits (81), sixth in RBI (58) and 10th in runs (55).
Ust’s .724 overall season slugging pct. ranks sixth in Irish history and is best since Topham’s .733 in 1995. His 18 home runs tied with Tim Hutson (’88) and Topham (’95) for second-most ever in a season at Notre Dame, behind Frank Jacobs’ 20 in 1991. Ust’s 20 doubles are tied for seventh in the Irish single-season record book. Ust’s .373 career batting avg. at Notre Dame ranks third in Irish history (he hit .372 as a freshman) while his 29 career home runs already are tied for sixth on the Irish all-time list (current junior Jeff Wagner holds the record, with 41).
Ust is the only player from a BIG EAST school among the 45 players named to BA’s three All-America teams and is one of just four All-Americans from the Midwest or East, joining Southwest Missouri State 1B Jason Hart (2nd team), Delaware OF Kevin Mench (2nd team) and Penn State P Nate Bump (3rd team).
Five University of Miami (Fla.) players received BA All-America honors: soph. RHP Alex Santos (1st team), jr. 3B Aubrey Huff (1st team), jr. reliever Robbie Morrison (3rd team), soph. SS Bobby Hill (3rd team) and jr. DH Pat Burrell (3rd team).
1998 ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS (as selected by Baseball America)
- FIRST TEAM
C Sammy Serrano, Stetson (.457, 13 HR, 68 RBI)
1B Eddy Furniss, LSU (.413, 27, 75)
2B Jeff Pickler, Tennessee (.445, 7, 61)
SS Adam Everett, South Carolina (.375, 13, 63)
3B Aubrey Huff, Miami (.414, 20, 93)
OF-Bubba Crosby, Rice (.394, 25, 91)
OF-Mike Curry, South Carolina (.400, 16, 46)
OF Eric Valent, UCLA (.336, 30, 73)
DH Damon Thames, Rice (.422, 26, 113)
UT-Brad Wilkerson, Florida (.349, 23, 69; 10-4, 4.45 ERA)
P Jeff Austin, Stanford (12-4, 3.11)
P Seth Etherton, USC (12-3, 2.85)
P Mike Fischer, South Alabama (11-1, 2.31, 1 SV)
P Alex Santos, Miami (14-1, 2.74)
P Josh Fogg, Florida (7-2, 2.05, 13 SV)
- SECOND TEAM
C Eric Munson (USC)
1B Jason Hart (SW Missouri St.)
2B Xavier Nady (California)
SS Zach Sorensen (Wichita St.)
3B Paul Day (Long Beach St.)
OF Clinton Johnston (Vanderbilt)
OF Kevin Mench (Delaware)
OF Jeff Ryan (Wichita St.)
DH Pat Magness (Wichita St.)
UT Brandon Inge (Va. Commonwealth)
P Matt Burch (Va. Commonwealth)
P Ryan Rupe (Texas A&M)
P Jeff Weaver (Fresno St.)
P Kip Wells (Baylor)
P Jack Krawczyk (USC)
- THIRD TEAM
C Josh Bard (Texas Tech)
1B Casey Bookout (Oklahoma)
2B Willie Bloomquist (Arizona St.)
SS Bobby Hill (Miami)
3B Brant Ust (Notre Dame)
OF Chris Magruder (Washington)
OF Terrmel Sledge (Long Beach St.)
OF Jason Tyner (Texas A&M)
DH Pat Burrell (Miami)
UT Jason Jennings (Baylor)
P Nate Bump (Penn St.)
P Benito Flores (Cal St.-Fullerton)
P John Hendricks (Wake Forest)
P Shane Wright (Texas Tech)
P Robbie Morrison (Miami)