June 4, 2008
From Army Athletic Communications
West Point, N.Y. - Army freshmen Clint Moore and Kevin McKague produced two of the finest seasons ever authored by West Point freshmen on the baseball diamond this spring. Those accomplishments were recognized on the national level Wednesday as both standout newcomers were named to the 2008 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America team as chosen by Collegiate Baseball magazine.
The Patriot League has now placed multiple players on the squad in seven of the past eight seasons, with 18 overall selections in that span.
The third Army freshman to be named Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Moore also became the third freshman in West Point history to earn first team All-Patriot League honors. The Black Knights' starting shortstop batted .350 with 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 46 runs scored and 39 runs batted in while serving as Army's leadoff hitter this spring.
The Greensboro, N.C. native ranked among Patriot League leaders in nine offensive categories, pacing conference freshmen in five areas. He also topped the Black Knights in at-bats (197), base hits (69), runs scored, total bases (105), walks (28), stolen bases (14) and multiple-hit games (22).
Moore became the first freshman in Army history to lead the team in any of the following categories: base hits, total bases, runs scored and stolen bases. He also posted 12 multiple-RBI efforts and finished with a .533 slugging percentage and a .446 on-base mark. He established Academy freshman standards in base hits, at-bats, multiple-hit games, stolen bases and total bases, with his base hit figure ranking sixth on Army's overall single-season list.
One of just two Black Knights to start all 50 contests this spring, Moore batted .448 with runners in scoring position and batted safely in 37 of 50 games. He drove in at least three runs on six occasions and scored at least two runs 12 times.
McKague, meanwhile, authored similarly impressive statistics during his freshman season at the Academy. Army's starting first baseman throughout the spring, McKague garnered second team All-Patriot League laurels after batting .328 with a school-record 19 doubles, three home runs, 33 runs scored and 50 runs batted in. In addition to establishing a new single season school record for doubles, he also set a new single season Army standard for multiple-RBI games with 18. His run batted in total stands third on Army's single-season chart and his base hits aggregate ranks tied for ninth.
The native of Fayetteville, N.C. stands as only the second freshman in Army history to lead the team in RBI and the first to accomplish the feat in 25 years. He established new freshman school records for doubles, runs batted in and multiple-RBI performances.
McKague registered a .472 slugging percentage and a .368 on-base figure, filling Army's cleanup spot all season. He piled up 21 multiple-hit showings (one shy of Moore's team-leading figure), collected at least three base hits on four occasions and batted safely in 35 of the 49 contests in which he played. He also batted .356 with runners in scoring position and hit .365 during 20 Patriot League tilts.
With the selection of Moore and McKague, five different Army players have been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team in the last five years. It also marks only the second time in school history and the second time in five years that Army has placed two players on the squad in the same season. Milan Dinga and Nick Hill were selected to the team in 2004 and Cole White was chosen in 2005.
