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The 2021 Arizona State baseball season was defined by youth. The unprecedented production the team got from its freshman has been recognized on a national level, with three first-year players being awarded Freshman All-American honors Wednesday by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Collegiate Baseball's 2021 Freshmen All-Americans, powered by Diamond, have just been released. See who made the list and who were chosen Freshmen National Players of The Year at: https://t.co/gZ4TdPWRh4@DiamondSportsCo pic.twitter.com/ZHBS5c3fXs
— Collegiate Baseball (@CBNewspaper) June 9, 2021
Redshirt freshman Sean McLain and true freshmen Ethan Long and Hunter Haas earned the recognition. Each were consistent starters for the Sun Devils and provided impressive offensive and defensive numbers in their first seasons in maroon and gold.
Long’s beastly freshman campaign thrust him into the national spotlight, and for good reason. He hit .340 while belting 16 home runs and driving in 54 runs. His OPS of 1.121 was among the nation’s best.
Haas earned the starting role at third base early in the season and didn’t look back. The Phoenix native started nearly every game in the hot corner, teaming up with Drew Swift to complete one of the best defensive left sides in all of college baseball. Haas was no slouch at the plate, batting .304 and driving in 30 runs in 214 at bats. Only Swift had more plate appearances for the Sun Devils.
McLain manned second base for the young ASU squad, making an impact on both sides of the ball. His .322 batting average trailed only Long for the team lead. Although his home run total of seven is less than half that of Long, it was still good for second most. Unlike Haas and Long, McLain was on the roster as a true freshman in 2020 when the season was cut short. In his first full season as a Sun Devil, he didn’t disappoint.