June 25, 2012

OXFORD, Miss. – A pair of Rebel baseball players were honored recently when right-handed pitcher Bobby Wahl and second baseman Alex Yarbrough were tabbed for post-season honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Wahl was named an All-South Region second team selection, while junior Yarbrough was tabbed as a first team All-South Region selection and first team All-America selection.

The duo helped lead the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament this season with an appearance in the College Station Regional at Texas A&M where Ole Miss advanced to the championship game of the regional. It’s the ninth time in the last 10 years the Rebels have appeared in the NCAA Tournament and sixth time in the last eight years Ole Miss has advanced to the championship game of a Regional.

Wahl, who was named an All-SEC second team selection, served as the Friday night starter for the Rebels in 2012 as he moved into the starting role of the weekend rotation following a freshman season spent as a closer for Ole Miss. The right-hander posted a 7-4 record on the year and a 2.55 ERA as he led the Rebels on the mound. Wahl held opponents to a .211 batting average against and struck out 104 batters on the season and combined for three shutouts.

The sophomore pitcher picked up wins over No. 10 TCU, UNC-Wilmington, Houston, No. 1 Florida, Tennessee and TCU in the opening game of the NCAA Regional. He combined to shutout UNC-Wilmington, Houston and the top-ranked Gators on the way to a series win over Florida.

Yarbrough earned All-SEC first team honors as a junior as he led the Rebels in batting with a .380 average on the year to finish second in the Southeastern Conference in the category. The sure-handed fielder was also one of the top defensive players in the country, fielding at a .989 clip as he committed only three errors on the year through 62 games played.

The junior second baseman also earned All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball newspaper and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) this season. Yarbrough was a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award honoring the national player of the year as he finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 of six offensive categories in the Southeastern Conference.

Yarbrough was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and signed to begin his professional career.