NEWARK, DE – University of Delaware junior infielder Alex Buchholz was selected to his third preseason All-American team this year after earning first-team honors from PingBaseball.com.

Earlier this offseason, Buchholz also received first-team Louisville Slugger and third-team National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason All-American accolades. In addition to those awards, he was named to the Wallace Award Watch List as well.

Buchholz (Millersville, MD/Old Mill) was a second-team All-Conference selection and third-team All-American pick by PingBaseball.com last season after pacing the Blue Hens with a .387 batting average, 27 doubles, and 63 runs batted in. He also came in second on the squad with 11 home runs and six triples.

A starter in all 55 games for Delaware, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned a place on the Colonial Athletic Association All-Tournament team after helping lead the Blue Hens to a second place finish in the conference playoffs.

Buchholz enters his junior season with a .383 career batting average, the ninth highest in program history. Over the last two years, he also has recorded 43 doubles, just nine shy of 10th place on the all-time list.

Against Hofstra last season, he turned the first unassisted triple play in Delaware history as well.

Buchholz was one of four players from the CAA to earn preseason honors from PingBaseball.com and one of only two who received first-team accolades. Alex was joined on the first-team list by Anthony Shawler of Old Dominion. George Mason's Scott Krieger and Hofstra's Matt Prokopowicz received third-team honors as well.

Delaware will open the 2008 season with a four-game series at the Citadel from February 22-24.

AGATE:
2008 PingBaseball.com Preseason First Team All-Americans
Pitchers - Ryan Berry (Rice), Danny Farquhar (UL-Lafayette), Scott Gorgen (UC-Irvine), Preston Guilmet (Arizona), Brian Matusz (San Diego), Mike Minor (Vanderbilt), Josh Satow (Arizona State), Anthonry Shawler (Old Dominion), Jacob Thompson (Virginia), Nick Cassavechia (Baylor), Cole St. Clair (Rice), Pat Venditte (Creighton); Catcher - Buster Posey (Florida State); First Base - Dustin Ackley (North Carolina); Second Base - Blake Stouffer (Texas A&M); Third Base - Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt); Shortstop - Ryan Flaherty (Vanderbilt); Outfield - Dominic de la Osa (Vanderbilt), Kyle Russell (Texas), David Sappelt (Coastal Carolina); Designated Hitter - Brett Wallace (Arizona State); Utility - Alex Buchholz (Delaware), Josh Romanski (San Diego).