Texas Tech University Athletics
Bard Earns First Team All America Honors
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
June 9, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - Two Texas Tech baseball players were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All America squads, released Wednesday. Junior catcher Josh Bard was named the NCBWA's First Team while senior righthanded pitcher Shane Wright was a NCBWA Second Team selection. The NCBWA All America team is voted upon nationally by NCBWA members, national media and college sports information directors.
Bard was also named to last year's First Team All America squad. The NCBWA also selected USC's Eric Munson and Auburn's Casey Dunn as the other two First Team catchers. Bard was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft, the No. 100 selection overall. He finished the 1999 season at Texas Tech as a career .366 hitter (268-733) with 73 doubles, 43 home runs and 232 runs batted in. The six-foot-three catcher was named a consensus All America in 1998 and 1999, a consensus All Big 12 selection over the last three seasons and was selected as one of 12 Rotary Smith Award semifinalists in 1999 (college baseball's player of the year award). Bard, a three-year USA Baseball player who was named the 1998 Big 12 Tournament Most Oustanding Player, concluded his junior season at Texas Tech with a .353 average, 28 doubles, 13 home runs and 92 runs batted in. Bard also became one of only two players in Texas Tech history to hit over 40 career home runs and drive in over 200 RBI (the other player was Clint Bryant, also a 1996 Colorado Rockies draftee).
Wright, a ninth round selection of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1999 Major League Draft, is also in his second year as a NCBWA All America. He ended his career at Texas Tech with a 34-7 overall record, 24 complete games, a 3.42 ERA, 281 strikeouts and only 53 walks in 368.2 career innings. He completed his three-year career as the school's leader in career victories, career innings pitched, career complete games, career bases on balls per 9IP, career games started and career winning percentage. A 1998 consensus All America and three-year all conference player, Wright also played one season for the USA Baseball National team. He finished his senior season at Texas Tech with a 10-4 record, 3.93 ERA, seven complete games and 100 strikeouts in 126.0 innings pitched and became the first pitcher in Texas Tech history to win 10 games in three different seasons.
1999 TEXAS TECH BASEBALL ALL AMERICA SELECTIONS
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association: Josh Bard (First Team), Shane Wright (Second Team)
Collegiate Baseball: Josh Bard (Third Team)
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