Carolina Baseball Trio earn All-America Honors

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Three University of South Carolina baseball players have been named to All-America teams by Perfect Game. Wes Clarke was named to PG's All-America third team while Will Sanders (first team) and Jack Mahoney (second team) were named Freshman All-Americans by the website.

Clarke hit .271 with 23 home runs, 56 runs scored, nine doubles, 55 RBI and 50 walks this season. He was named to the All-SEC second team and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. Clarke had a pair of home runs in a win over Clemson on Feb. 28 and had three home runs in a midweek win over Winthrop on Feb. 23. He was the SEC Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 23 and March 1 and was the Player of the Month of February by the NCBWA. This is his fifth All-America honor this season for the Forest, Va., native.

Sanders, who also was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was selected to the Freshman All-SEC team, was 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched compared to just 11 walks. Sanders pitched eight innings, striking out four in a win over Georgia on April 4 and did not allow a run in six innings of work in a win at LSU on April 17. Sanders had a career high 10 strikeouts in five innings in a win over The Citadel on March 23. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on March 1 after back-to-back wins over Clemson (Feb. 27 and 28) and the Co-Freshman of the Week on April 5.

Mahoney was 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 14 appearances and five starts for the Gamecocks. He had 39 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched before being shut down due to injury in the beginning of May. Mahoney struck out seven in five innings of work in a win over Charleston Southern on April 13 and had six punchouts in a career-best 7.2 innings pitched in a 9-5 win over The Citadel on April 27. He struck out three in an inning of work at Texas on March 12 and picked up a win against Gardner-Webb on March 30.