June 15, 2007

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina sophomore first baseman Justin Smoak has earned third team All-America honors from Baseball America, as announced on Friday afternoon. Smoak batted .315 with 22 HR and 72 RBI in the 2007 season and was selected to the 2007 USA Baseball National Team. One of two South Carolina players to start all 66 games this year, Smoak had a strong postseason that included MVP honors in the NCAA Regional in Columbia, S.C.

Smoak also was one of the top fielders at first base with a .993 fielding percentage with only four errors on the year. He is currently projected by Scouts, Inc. on ESPN.com as the third best prospect in the nation for the 2008 MLB Draft. Smoak was a semi-finalist this past season for the Golden Spikes Award presented by USA Baseball to the top amateur baseball player in the nation.