Wimmers & Burkhart named Preseason All-Americans

The junior battery was selected to the Collegiate Baseball Writers’ second team

Courtesy Ohio State Athletics

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior ace Alex Wimmers and junior catcher Dan Burkart, the 2009 Big Ten Conference co-pitcher and player of the year, respectively, have been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America (NCBWA) preseason All-America second team. Both players are from Cincinnati, Ohio and played for Archbishop Moeller High School.

Wimmers, a semifinalist last year for both the Golden Spikes Award and the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Award, is coming off a sophomore campaign that included a 9-2 record, a 3.27 earned run average and 136 strikeouts (vs. 55 walks) in 104.2 innings. He was named first-team All-America by Louisville Slugger and PING! Baseball and third-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA.


Burkhart was a semifinalist for the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate catcher last year. Considered the best everyday player on the Big Ten champion Buckeyes team last year, Burkhart hit .354 with 13 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 62 runs batted in. He also scored 48 runs, slugged at a .589 clip, and threw out 35-percent of runners attempting to steal.

Only three Big Ten Conference players were named on the baseball writer’s three preseason All-America teams. Michigan outfielder Ryan LaMarre was the only other player from the Big Ten named. The NCBWA preseason All-America team release is attached.

The college baseball season opens the weekend of Feb. 19. Ohio State will play three games at the University of North Florida – vs. North Florida, Florida A&M and vs. Richmond – Feb. 19, 20 and 21, respectively, to open its season.