Marshall University Athletics
Baseball's Lape Named 2009 Preseason All-American
12/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 16, 2008
2009 NCBWA Preseason All-Americans 
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Marshall University senior outfielder Nate Lape (Huntington, N.Y.) was named to the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-American second team as announced by the organization, Tuesday.
Lape joins East Carolina's Seth Maness, Rice's Ryan Berry, Houston's Chase Dempsay and Tulane's Rob Segedin as one of five players from Conference USA to be named a preseason All-American.
Lape was the team leader in offense for the Thundering Herd during the 2008 season, finishing the campaign with a .388 batting average, including 83 hits, 17 doubles, 17 home runs and 63 runs batted in, all of which were team-highs. A 2008 C-USA All-Tournament selection, Lape was named to the All-C-USA First Team and earned first team All-Mideast Region honors. He was named Conference USA Hitter of the Week and Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week on March 17.
"This is a great honor for Nate," head coach Jeff Waggoner stated. "He is very deserving of this award. Work-ethic, leadership and determination are all things you look for in an All-American and he certainly has those qualities. Nate is the type of player who would rather win a conference championship than earn individual accolades, so we are excited for him and to see how far this team can go."
Lape's 83 hits in 2008 is second on Marshall's single-season hits list, while his 63 RBIs last season ties him for third-best in a single-season at Marshall. The senior's 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases were fifth-best for a single-season for the Thundering Herd.
Lape was a 20th round selection in the 2008 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies and played summer ball for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
