MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama collected All-America recognition in two sports on Wednesday, as hammer thrower Renaldo Frechou earned first-team honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and right-handed pitcher Kevin Hill was named a third-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hill and center fielder Cole Billingsley also received regional honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Frechou Repeats as First-Team All-American
Frechou, a junior from Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa, competed in the men’s hammer throw at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Facing a field of 24 other throwers, he improved his distance on each of his first three attempts, with his final mark measuring 68.84 meters.
The performance earned Frechou first-team All-America honors for the second consecutive year. He finished seventh in the same event at the 2014 national championships.
Frechou is the first Jaguar to earn All-America recognition in back-to-back seasons since Tonny Okello and Vincent Rono each did so in 2006 and 2007.
More Jaguars Still to Compete in Eugene
Frechou is the first of three South Alabama athletes scheduled to compete at the national meet. Junior Jan-Louw Kotze will throw in the men’s discus on Friday at 6:05 p.m. CDT, and Kaitlyn Beans will compete in the women’s triple jump on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Hill Adds Another All-America Honor
Hill’s selection to the NCBWA All-America third team is his second All-America recognition of the postseason. He was named to the Louisville Slugger Division I All-America second team on May 28, becoming the first South Alabama pitcher to earn All-America honors since P.J. Walters in 2006.
The 2015 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year, Hill led the league in wins (10), earned run average (1.73), opponents’ batting average (.208) and strikeouts (107). The redshirt junior finished with a 10-0 record, four complete games and two shutouts over 80 2/3 innings. All four of his complete games came during a stretch against conference opponents.
Hill became the first South Alabama pitcher to win 10 games in a season since D.D. Hanks in 2010, and his 107 strikeouts made him the first Jaguar with a triple-digit strikeout total since Walters in 2006.
Hill is the 27th player in program history to earn All-America honors and only the seventh pitcher to do so in the baseball program’s 51 seasons.
Hill, Billingsley Named to All-Region Team
Hill and Billingsley were also selected to the 2015 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I South Central All-Region team. Hill was named to the first team and Billingsley to the second team.
Billingsley, a redshirt sophomore, led the Sun Belt with 30 stolen bases. He tied for second in the conference with 80 hits and four triples, tied for fourth with 46 runs scored, tied for sixth with a .345 batting average and tied for eighth with 34 walks.
In the field, Billingsley did not commit an error in 163 chances in center field over 55 games, and he recorded three outfield assists.
