University of Tennessee Athletics
TONY DELMONICO NAMED TO LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM
June 08, 2006 | Baseball
June 8, 2006
The 2006 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team was announced Thursday by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, and Tennessee shortstop Tony Delmonico earned inclusion after a standout rookie campaign for the Volunteers. Delmonico is the 12th all-time Vol to earn Freshman All-America laurels and joins Stevie Daniel (1999) as UT's only shortstop honorees.
Delmonico started 54 games as Tennessee's shortstop this season and spent the bulk of the year as the Vols' No. 2 hitter. He ranked fourth on the team with a .335 overall batting average and led the club with a sterling .360 average in Southeastern Conference play. The only switch-hitter on UT's roster, he batted .377 versus left-handed pitching and .320 against right-handers.
He collected 68 hits, 36 RBIs and three home runs while drawing a team-high 26 walks. Delmonico also boasted a team-best .421 on-base percentage and was a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen-base attempts.
Delmonico finished his rookie season with the sixth-highest batting average among freshmen in the 17-year tenure of head coach Rod Delmonico (better than three previous Freshman All-America honorees during that span).
Tennessee has now produced four Freshman All-America selections in the last two years.
