Texas Tech baseball first baseman Gavin Kash was unanimously selected to the preseason All-Big 12 baseball team selected by the conference's coaches and was released Wednesday.
Kash batted .327 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs last year, ranking tied for fifth in the last two divisions of NCAA Division I and seventh alone. The Beaumont Kelly graduate transferred to Tech from Texas State and earned all first-team honors. He earned Big 12 honors in his first year with the Red Raiders.
The left-handed power hitter was the only Texas Tech player named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. A total of 17 players will participate, including four starting pitchers and two relief pitchers.
West Virginia junior infielder JJ Weatherholt was named preseason player of the year after a season in which he won a Division I batting title and was a unanimous All-American. Other preseason selections include Texas right-hander LeBaron Johnson as Pitcher of the Year, TCU's Peyton Toll as Rookie of the Year, and Texas' Will Gasparino as Rookie of the Year.
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Johnson went 8-4 with a 2.91 ERA and one save last season.
Thor, a transfer from Wichita State University, was unanimously named the nation's best player and was a finalist for the John Olerud Award, given to the nation's top two-way player. He had a batting average of .311, 13 home runs, 50 RBIs, 9 wins, 3 losses, and a 4.62 ERA.
Gasparino, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound outfielder from Los Angeles-Harvard-Westlake, was ranked by MLB.com as the No. 75 prospect in last year's Major League Draft. He is the son of former Oklahoma State infielder Billy Gasparino, who is currently the Dodgers' director of scouting.
Kash and Weatherholt were two of five players who appeared on all ballots. Others included Oklahoma State outfielder Nolan Schubert, TCU pitcher Cole Klecker and Kansas State relief pitcher Tyson Nabors. Schubart batted .338 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs.
Klecker was 10-4 with a 3.72 ERA, and Neighbors was 5-1 with a 1.85 ERA, 11 saves, and 86 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings pitched.
All Big 12 teams will begin their season on February 16th. Tech opens at Globe Life Field in Arlington, playing against Tennessee on February 16 at 7 p.m., Nebraska on February 17 at 3 p.m., and Oregon on February 18 at 2:30 p.m.
