2017 Collegiate Baseball All-America Teams

With the 2017 LMU baseball season complete, junior right-hander Cory Abbott is now being showered with accolades, most recently taking home first team All-American honors according to Collegiate Baseball. Abbott is one of 17 players, including seven pitchers, listed on the first team.

Abbott is the first Lion to record first team All-American honors since Billy Lockin was tabbed as such by the Jewish Sports Review in 2004. LMU last had an All-American according to Collegiate Baseball in 2000 when Billy Traber (second team) and Scott Walter (third team) were lauded. LMU's previous first team All-American according to Collegiate Baseball was Traber, earning the honor in 1999.

Abbott, the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, is one of seven Conference Pitcher/Players of the Year on the first team. One of five finalists for the National Pitcher of the Year Award presented by the College Baseball Foundation, Abbott went 11-2 with a 1.74 ERA over 15 starts this year, guiding LMU to its first WCC Championship since 2000. The right-hander logged 98.1 innings and struck out 130 hitters while limiting the opposition to just 61 hits and a .173 average against. The highlight of Abbott's season came on March 25 when he tossed the first perfect game in LMU and West Coast Conference history, defeating BYU by a score of 2-0. The perfect game was one of two complete game shutouts thrown by Abbott this season.

Abbott's stellar season ranks amongst the best in LMU history, as he turned in the lowest opponent batting average (.173) and most strikeouts-per-nine innings (11.90), second-best ERA (1.74), second-most shutouts (2), fourth-most strikeouts (130), and seventh-most wins (11).