EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon outfield Mason Neville and starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell have been named All-Americans by Perfect Game, while they are joined by designated hitter Dominic Hellman and first baseman Jacob Walsh on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team – West.
Neville claimed Perfect Game second-team All-America honors and first team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team – West accolades, while Grinsell is a PG third-team All-America selection as well as first-team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region pick. Hellman is on the ABCA all-region first team, while Walsh is a second-team selection.
Neville, a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, finished the season leading the nation in both home runs (26) and home runs per game (0.46). The Ducks’ centerfielder slashed .290/.429/.724 with a 1.153 OPS. A first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, Neville shattered Oregon’s single-season home run record with eight more than the old record, while also setting a school record for slugging percentage and walks (53) as well as tying for the program record in runs scored (67). He ended his junior season as the career leader in slugging percentage (.699), while also ranking second in home runs (42) and fifth in on-base percentage (.405).
Grinsell, Oregon’s Friday night starter and a first-team All-Big Ten Conference pick, claimed All-America honors after earning spots on the all-regional tournament teams each of the last two seasons. Grinsell boasted a 9-3 record and a 3.01 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 98.2 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .205 batting average. In Big Ten games, Grinsell was even better. The Ducks’ lefty led the league in wins (7), ERA (1.36), batting average against (.167) and WHIP (0.86), while ranking second in strikeouts 70. His 101 Ks marked just the fifth time in program history a Ducks’ pitcher fanned triple-digit batters in a single season, while his nine wins are tied for the sixth most in a season for a Duck. His 1.01 WHIP was the fifth-best in the modern era of Oregon baseball. Grinsell finished his junior campaign tied for eighth all-time at Oregon in wins (18), with his .750 winning percentage also ranking eight in program history. His 267 strikeouts are the third most in a career at Oregon, trailing only former first-round Major League draft picks Tyler Anderson (285) and David Peterson (282).
Hellman, who led the Ducks with a program record three grand slams and was named third-team All-Big Ten, batted .326 with 13 home runs, 44 RBI and 42 runs scored while reaching base at a .426 clip and slugging .567. The Ducks’ DH had nine extra-base hits (5 HR, 4 2B) in 23 Big Ten Conference starts while slashing .295/.382/.495 with an .877 OPS. Hellman was even better in Oregon’s four postseason games going 9-for-16 while slashing .563/.632/.750 with a 1.382 OPS. His play also earned him a spot on the Big Ten Conference All-Tournament Team.
Named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy honoring college baseball’s top player, Walsh had a monster senior season for the Ducks. A first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, Walsh led the team in RBI (60) and hits (77), while finishing second in batting average (.332), home runs (19), on-base percentage (.435) and slugging percentage (.651). His 19 homers ranked second in program history behind Neville’s 26, while also finishing the year with the third-best slugging percentage in program history, as well as fourth in multiple-hit games (26) and multiple-RBI games (17), eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in doubles (17) and 10th in hits. He concluded his four-year career as Oregon’s all-time leader in home runs (59), RBI (191) and multiple-RBI games (50), while ranking second in games started (232), at-bats (919), runs scored (163), hits (258), doubles (60) and multiple-hit games (73).
