Gophers 2B Zack Raabe named to preseason All-American roster

The University of Minnesota’s baseball team has a player named on the preseason All-American roster.

Second baseman Zack Raabe on Tuesday was named a preseason Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, according to a release.

The Forest Lake-native’s preseason status comes on the heels of a 2020 season in which he led the entire nation in hits (31) while slashing .463/.526./.612 with one home run, seven doubles, 16 runs scored and 10 RBI. He finished the season with the eighth-highest batting average in the country while ranking first in the Big Ten Conference in average and hits, second in total bases (41) and on-base percentage, third in doubles and sixth in slugging percentage.

The junior was ranked as the No. 5 player at his position in the NCAA in the end-of-season positional power rankings as a sophomore, according to the university.

Tuesday’s announcement marks the third consecutive year that a member of the Gophers baseball team has received All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball. Last season, Max Meyer was named a Third-Team All-American and in 2019, Patrick Fredrickson received preseason Second-Team All-American honors, while Meyer was named to the Third Team.