FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Razorbacks right-hander Blaine Knight has been named as a Louisville Slugger third-team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, it announced Tuesday.
Knight, a junior from Bryant, compiled an 8-4 record and a 3.28 ERA in 90⅔ innings and 16 starts last season. Knight’s eight victories were the most by an Arkansas pitcher since Chris Oliver had the same number in 2014.
As a draft-eligible sophomore, he was taken in the 29th round of the MLB first-year player draft last summer, but he elected to return for his junior season.
Knight had 96 strikeouts to rank 10th in the SEC and his 20 walks were the 13th lowest among all qualified SEC pitchers. The 6-3, 165-pounder went 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 SEC starts, including five consecutive quality starts to open conference play.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 45-19 season that included an 18-11 mark for a second-place finish in the SEC West. Arkansas lost to Missouri State 3-2 in the final of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.
Arkansas opens the 2018 season with a three-game set at Baum Stadium against Bucknell on Feb. 16-18.