[Batpuff]

By ROCKY STANLEY / The Independent


Steve Blevins wanted to make an impression in his first year of Division I baseball.

He ended up impressing everybody.

Blevins, from Louisa, has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team after a terrific start at the University of Cincinnati.

“It’s pretty neat to get that,’’ Blevins said. “It was something I wanted at the beginning of the year.’’

The annual team is announced by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

Blevins evolved into the ace of the UC pitching staff and tied for most wins in the Big East Conference with nine.

“Steve was very deserving,’’ Cincinnati head coach Brian Cleary said of the All-American honor. “I think clearly he had the best performance we’ve had by a freshman since I’ve been here. We knew he was going to be good. There’s typically a transition time for freshmen, but his was very short.’’

The 6-foot-2 right-hander was a second-team All-Big East selection after twice being recognized as the league’s pitcher of the week. His nine victories set a UC freshman record.

Perhaps Blevins’ top performance came late in the regular season when he pitched a three-hit shutout against St. John’s, one of the nation’s top hitting teams.

“He was dominant in that game and some others,’’ Cleary said.

Blevins helped lead the Bearcats to a 32-26 record, a seven-game improvement in the win column over 2005.

“We weren’t bad,’’ he said. “It was one of the better years they have had in a long time. Hopefully we can build off that and do better next season.’’

Blevins planned to play summer ball in Virginia, but he will take a well-deserved rest instead after leading the Big East with 101 innings pitched.

“That’s by far the most I’ve ever had,’’ said Blevins, whose fastball was consistently clocked between 88-92 mph.

Cleary said the next step in Blevins’ progression is refining his secondary pitches.

“At times his breaking ball and changeup were good, other times he struggled with them,’’ Cleary said. “As Steve continues to work on those, he has a chance to be dominating.’’

Blevins had two shutouts and posted a 5.70 earned run average.

Teammate Josh Harrison joined Blevins on the Freshmen All-American team. Harrison, a former Cincinnati Princeton standout, led the Bearcats with a .367 batting average and ranked among the Big East leaders with 67 runs and 84 hits.

Another UC freshman, infielder Adam Yeager of Huntington, also contributed significantly to the team’s success. Yeager batted .291 with 10 extra-base hits in a starting role.

[BurntTires]

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