Yahoo! Sports Freshman All-America Team

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Coaches often say that players make the most transition from their freshman to sophomore campaigns.

Matt Purke finished the season unbeaten in 16 decisions and struck out 142.
(Crystal LoGiudice / US Presswire)

Then there are those players that made all the transition they needed as freshmen.

Several of the nation’s premier programs and players are featured as we unveil the 2010 Yahoo! Sports Freshman All-America Team.

Florida, which reached the College World Series this past season, leads the way with four freshmen on the team, including shortstop Nolan Fontana, designated hitter Austin Maddox, utility player Brian Johnson and starting pitcher Hudson Randall.

In terms of individual player awards, TCU left-hander Matt Purke is the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and St. John’s outfielder Jeremy Baltz is the National Freshman Player of the Year.

Purke had a fabulous campaign and helped guide the Horned Frogs to their first CWS appearance. Baltz, meanwhile, nearly helped lead the Johnnies to a super regional appearance. He had a fantastic offensive campaign and was a solid defender.

Yahoo! Sports Freshman Player of the Year: OF Jeremy Baltz, St. John’s

Yahoo! Sports Freshman Pitcher of the Year: LHP Matt Purke, TCU

C Kevin Plawecki School: Purdue Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 200 Hometown.: Carmel, Ind. High school: Westfield Plawecki had a first season to remember, hitting .343 with 12 doubles, eight homers and 53 RBIs for the Boilermakers. He also struck out just 11 times in 204 at bats. Plawecki also did a solid job behind the plate.	1B Barrett Barnes School: Texas Tech Ht.: 5-11, Wt.: 195 Hometown.: Sugarland, Texas High school: Fort Bend Austin Barnes was one of several Red Raiders that had impressive campaigns. He batted .341 with 19 doubles, two triples, 14 homers and 53 RBIs. He also slugged .641 and had an impressive .465 on-base percentage.
2B Anthony Gomez School: Vanderbilt Ht.: 5-11, Wt.: 178 Hometown.: Nutley, N.J. High school: Don Bosco Prep Gomez couldn’t have had a more impressive inaugural campaign. He batted a team-high .379 with 10 doubles, two homers and 30 RBIs for the Commodores. He also had a .418 OBP and compiled a fantastic .974 fielding percentage.	SS Nolan Fontana School: Florida Ht.: 5-11, Wt.: 190 Hometown.: Winter Garden, Fla. High school: West Orange Fontana had a serviceable campaign at the plate with a .287 batting average and 15 doubles, he made the most impact in the field for the Gators. Fontana had a great year defensively, finishing the season with a fabulous .986 fielding percentage.
3B Kenny Diekroeger School: Stanford Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 200 Hometown.: Woodside, Calif. High school: Menlo School Diekroeger headed to Stanford with high expectations. He did not disappoint as a freshman this past season, hitting .356 with 12 doubles, five homers and 41 RBIs. He also finished the season with a .491 slugging percentage.	OF Jeremy Baltz School: St. John’s Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 190 Hometown.: Vestal, N.Y. High school: Vestal The Johnnies were better than expected this past season because of Baltz and others. Baltz batted a team-high .396 with 16 doubles, 24 homers and 85 RBIs. He also slugged .771 and had a .479 OBP. Baltz led the team with 185 total bases.
OF Logan Vick School: Baylor Ht.: 5-11, Wt.: 185 Hometown.: Kerrville, Texas High school: Tivy The Bears have a solid crop of young players, and Vick led the way this past season. He batted .329 with 17 doubles, two triples, 10 homers and 27 RBIs. He also slugged .553 and had an impressive .473 OBP.	OF Beau Amaral School: UCLA Ht.: 5-10, Wt.: 175 Hometown.: Huntington Beach, Calif. High school: Huntington Beach The Bruins took a huge step forward this past season with Amaral and others leading the way. Amaral was a fabulous defensive outfielder, but he also was solid at the plate. The freshman hit a team-best .354 with four homers and 31 RBIs.
DH Austin Maddox School: Florida Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 230 Hometown.: Jacksonville, Fla. High school: Eagle’s View Academy Maddox certainly left something to be desired in the field at times, but he was a fantastic hitter. Maddox finished his first season hitting .333 with 16 doubles, 17 homers and 72 RBIs. He also slugged .587 for the Gators.	UT Brian Johnson School: Florida Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 225 Hometown.: Cocoa Beach, Fla. High school: Cocoa Beach The Gators couldn’t have asked for too much more from Johnson. He finished the season hitting .405 in 85 at bats and was a mainstay in UF’s weekend rotation. He had a 6-4 record with a 4.03 ERA in 73 2/3 innings. He struck out 51 and walked 14.
SP Matt Purke School: TCU Ht.: 6-4, Wt.: 180 Hometown.: Spring, Texas. High school: Klein High School Purke is a former first-round pick and met expectations in his first season. The left-hander went 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA in 116 1/3 innings. He also struck out 142 and walked 34 while limiting opponents to a .212 batting average.	SP Kurt Heyer School: Arizona Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 196 Hometown.: Huntington Beach, Calif. High school: Edison The Wildcats have a bright future on the mound with Heyer leading the way. Heyer had a 7-4 record this past season with a 3.26 ERA in 102 innings. He also struck out 109 and walked 29 and limited opposing teams to a .255 average.
SP Michael Wacha School: Texas A&M Ht.: 6-6, Wt.: 195 Hometown.: Texarkana, Texas. High school: Pleasant Grove The Aggies have a solid future on the mound with Wacha leading the way. He split time as a reliever and starter this season. He compiled an impressive 2.90 ERA in 105 2/3 innings. He also struck out 97 and walked 22 and limited teams to a .218 batting average.	SP Hudson Randall School: Florida Ht.: 6-3, Wt.: 180 Hometown.: Atlanta High school: Dunwoody Randall might not have had a solid start in Omaha, but he had a great first season. He had a 3.24 ERA in 97 1/3 innings. He also struck out 69 and walked 21 and limited opposing teams to just a .268 batting average.
RP Matt Price School: South Carolina Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 215 Hometown.: Sumter, S.C. High school: Sumter What an incredible campaign the freshman had. Price made 31 appearances, earned 10 saves and had a 2.26 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. He also struck out 83 and walked 19 and limited opposing teams to a .183 batting average.	RP Brady Rodgers School: Arizona State Ht.: 6-2, Wt.: 173 Hometown.: Richmond, Texas High school: Lamar Consolidated Rodgers joins a laundry list of excellent ASU pitchers. Rodgers made 22 appearances and five starts and had a 2.11 ERA in 72 2/3 innings this past season. He also struck out 67 and walked 11 and limited teams to a .202 batting average.