For the first time in UTM history, multiple student-athletes were listed on the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American team as the Skyhawk duo of Christian Hall and Will LaFollette earned that title today.
A total of 100 players were selected to the prestigious squad and UT Martin was one of just 20 Division I programs to boast multiple selections. Only Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, St. John’s and Texas Tech had more Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-Americans than the Skyhawks, who landed two of the five Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) representatives on the list.
Hall and LaFollette are the sixth and seventh all-time UTM honorees to garner this award, joining Ethan Whitley (2018), Connor Aube (2017), Ben Upton (2014), Phil Sorensen (2011) and Wes Patterson (2008).
Today’s announcement marks the second postseason recognition for Hall, who was also identified by D1Baseball with the OVC’s “Best Freshman” title for 2020. The 6-2, 230-pound left-handed swinging Hall paced all OVC rookies with a .368 batting average while starting 15 games at designated hitter.
The Calera, Alabama native led the Skyhawks with 21 hits, 13 runs scored and eight multi-hit efforts while ranking in the top-eight in the OVC in walks (12, third), sacrifice flies (two, fifth) and on-base percentage (.465, eighth). Hall tallied a pair of doubles, two home runs and nine RBI’s – driving in a run in nine separate games. He was one of only six designated hitters to claim Freshman All-American status in 2020.
LaFollette appeared in all 16 games during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, earning 13 starts (eight in right field, five at first base). The Chelsea, Alabama native ranked second on the UTM squad with 13 RBI’s, hitting .283 with three home runs, two doubles, a triple, 10 runs scored and a .500 slugging percentage.
The 5-10, 220-pound southpaw pieced together five multi-hit performances and collected three multiple-RBI games. LaFollette’s five RBI’s in the OVC victory over Southeast Missouri on March 8 were the most for any Skyhawk all season. He made the Freshman All-American list as a first baseman, as he was one of just eight recipients from that position.
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