Blaine Knight voted First-Team All-America by baseball writers

Blaine Knight, Arkansas starter, delivers to an Oral Roberts batter Friday, June 1, 2018, during game one of the NCAA regional at Baum Stadium. Arkansas won 10-2.
Blaine Knight, Arkansas starter, delivers to an Oral Roberts batter Friday, June 1, 2018, during game one of the NCAA regional at Baum Stadium. Arkansas won 10-2.

— Arkansas pitcher Blaine Knight was voted to the All-America first team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, the organization announced Wednesday.

Knight, a junior right-hander, is one of seven starting pitchers on the NCBWA first team. Other starters are Auburn's Casey Mize, Florida's Brady Singer, Oregon State's Luke Heimlich, Southern Miss' Nick Sandlin, Stetson's Logan Gilbert and UC Irvine's Andre Pallante.

Voters were asked to select eight starting pitchers during the voting process, which ended last week. Other Arkansas players on the NCBWA ballot were second baseman Carson Shaddy, third baseman Casey Martin and outfielder Heston Kjerstad. Martin and Kjerstad were voted to the NCBWA Freshman All-America team.

Knight is 12-0 this season with a 2.84 ERA in 16 starts. He is one win shy of tying the school record for wins in a single season and is expected to start the Razorbacks' game against Texas on Sunday at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The Bryant native previously was named second-team All-America by Baseball America and Perfect Game, and to the third team by Collegiate Baseball.

Arkansas has had 23 individuals named All-America 28 times. Prior to Knight, Andrew Benintendi, the 2015 winner of the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award as national player of the year, was the Razorbacks' most recent All-American.

2018 NCBWA All-Americans

C - Joey Bart, Georgia Tech

1B - Bren Spillane, Illinois

1B - Andrew Vaughn, California

2B - Kody Clemens, Texas

3B - Jonathan India, Florida

SS - Terrin Vavra, Minnesota

OF - Devlin Granberg, Dallas Baptist

OF - Seth Beer, Clemson

OF - Trevor Larnach, Oregon State

OF - Bryant Packard, East Carolina

DH - Kevin Strohschein, Tennessee Tech

UT - Brooks Wilson, Stetson

SP - Logan Gilbert, Stetson

SP - Luke Heimlich, Oregon State

SP - Casey Mize, Auburn

SP - Nick Sandlin, Southern Miss

SP - Brady Singer, Florida

SP - Andre Pallante, UC Irvine

SP - Blaine Knight, Arkansas

RP - Michael Byrne, Florida

RP - Nolan Hoffman, Texas A&M

RP - Seth Kinker, Ohio State

RP - Jack Little, Stanford

RP - Chris Mauloni, Jacksonville

Arkansas All-Americans

Tim Lollar, LHP/DH, 1978

Ronn Reynolds, C, 1979

Steve Kruger, LHP, 1980

Kevin McReynolds, OF, 1980-81

Jeff King, 3B, 1985-86

Mike Loggins, OF, 1985

Ralph Kraus, OF, 1986

Andy Skeels, C, 1987

Troy Eklund, OF, 1989

Greg D'Alexander, 3B, 1990

Phillip Stidham, RHP, 1990-91

Kenderick Moore, 2B, 1996

Ryan Lundquist, OF, 1997

David Walling, RHP, 1998-99

Charlie Isaacson, RHP, 1999

Nick Schmidt, LHP, 2006-07

Jess Todd, RHP, 2007

Zack Cox, 3B, 2010

Brett Eibner, RHP/OF, 2010

Matt Reynolds, 3B, 2012

Ryne Stanek, RHP, 2013

Andrew Benintendi, OF, 2015

Blaine Knight, RHP, 2018

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