June 12, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - (Tuesday, June 12, 2007) Southeast Missouri State freshman catcher Jim Klocke was named to the Ping!Baseball All Ping! Freshman Team. Klocke earned second team honors in the award's inaugural announcement.

Klocke, a native of St. Louis, Mo., adds the award to an extensive list of honors that includes Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. In his banner campaign, Klocke started every game for the Redhawks, and all but two of those starts came behind the plate. The left-handed swinger hit .324 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 38 RBIs. He led the team with a .443 on-base percentage as well as 34 walks, which was just one shy of the OVC lead. Meanwhile, the freshman struck out only 13 times in his 179 at bats, and he ranks as the 49th toughest player to strikeout nationally with one strikeout per 13.8 at bats.

Klocke joins five other OVC freshman baseball players to be honored with the announcement.

The rosters were selected by the Ping!Baseball staff after countless hours searching rosters for the premier freshmen players in the nation. North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley was named Ping! Freshman Player of the Year, while Vanderbilt's Mike Minor earned Ping! Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors.