University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Popa, Perry Garner ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Honors
6/12/2019 3:21:00 PM | Baseball
Popa Earns First Team, Perry Second Team Recognition
PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh outfielders Nico Popa and Connor Perry have earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region recognition, as announced by the organization.
"It's great to see two of the hardest working student-athletes get recognized for their successes on the field," said head coach Mike Bell. "The development that they showed from one year to the next is a true testament to their hard work and the system that has been put in place here at Pitt."
Popa becomes the second player in the ACC era of Pitt history to earn first team honors, while Perry collected second team recognition. The selections mark the second straight season that the Panthers have placed a pair on the All-Region teams as Frank Maldonado and Liam Sabino garnered the recognition in 2018.
The honors aren't the first of the year for the duo, as both landed on the All-ACC teams in May.
A Pittsburgh native, Popa had a stellar season, leading the team with a .353 average to rank eighth in the ACC. He collected 15 doubles, an ACC-best five triples, as well as eight homers, tallying 39 RBI with a team-high .581 slugging mark to go along with a .424 on base percentage.
A threat on the base paths, he led the team in stolen bases, going 14-15. He led the outfielders with four assists, committing just one error on 102 putouts.
Perry had a breakout campaign in his second year with the program, leading the team with 15 homers to rank fifth in the league. He hit for a .289 average to finish the season, adding 13 doubles, one triple and 35 RBI, tallying a .573 slugging percentage and going 9-10 in stolen base attempts.
Nine of Perry's 15 long balls came in conference action, the fourth highest in the league. A local product, Perry led the team with 10 multi-RBI games, including three multiple-homer outings, two of which came in ACC action.
Perry was taken in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers and signed a professional contract on June 12.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
"It's great to see two of the hardest working student-athletes get recognized for their successes on the field," said head coach Mike Bell. "The development that they showed from one year to the next is a true testament to their hard work and the system that has been put in place here at Pitt."
Popa becomes the second player in the ACC era of Pitt history to earn first team honors, while Perry collected second team recognition. The selections mark the second straight season that the Panthers have placed a pair on the All-Region teams as Frank Maldonado and Liam Sabino garnered the recognition in 2018.
The honors aren't the first of the year for the duo, as both landed on the All-ACC teams in May.
A Pittsburgh native, Popa had a stellar season, leading the team with a .353 average to rank eighth in the ACC. He collected 15 doubles, an ACC-best five triples, as well as eight homers, tallying 39 RBI with a team-high .581 slugging mark to go along with a .424 on base percentage.
A threat on the base paths, he led the team in stolen bases, going 14-15. He led the outfielders with four assists, committing just one error on 102 putouts.
Perry had a breakout campaign in his second year with the program, leading the team with 15 homers to rank fifth in the league. He hit for a .289 average to finish the season, adding 13 doubles, one triple and 35 RBI, tallying a .573 slugging percentage and going 9-10 in stolen base attempts.
Nine of Perry's 15 long balls came in conference action, the fourth highest in the league. A local product, Perry led the team with 10 multi-RBI games, including three multiple-homer outings, two of which came in ACC action.
Perry was taken in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers and signed a professional contract on June 12.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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