Walden Earns NCBWA All-American Honors

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Senior lefthander Cody Walden has earned honorable mention All-American honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) for the 2009 season. Walden becomes AASU's first All-American pitcher since 2005 and it is the fifth straight year that the Pirates have had an All-American honoree in baseball.

The honor caps an outstanding season for Walden, the native of Tuscon, Ariz., who went 11-2 with a 3.70 ERA in 17 appearances, leading the PBC in wins. Walden, also the Daktronics/CoSIDA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year, was the first player to win 10 or more games as a Pirate since 2005.

Walden also earned NCBWA All-Southeast Region honors, and was joined on the All-Southeast Region team by teammates Alex Wyche and Thomas Gray, who each earned second-team All-Region honors. Wyche led the Pirates in hitting with a .398 average, clubbing six home runs and driving in 58 RBI, while Gray went 8-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, striking out 81 batters in 99.2 innings pitched.

Walden becomes the 43rd player at AASU to earn NCAA Division II All-American honors, dating back to 1988. Overall, the Pirates have had 48 All-America honors in the history of AASU baseball.