Tweet

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Virginia Tech baseball players have been named to the 2010 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Team, as announced by the league office on Monday.

Austin Wates was selected a first-team outfielder, while catcher Steve Domecus, starting pitcher Justin Wright and relief pitcher Ben Rowen were each included on the second team.

The first and second teams, as well as the Player, Pitcher, Freshman and Coach of the Year awards, were chosen in a vote by the conference’s 12 head coaches.

Since joining the ACC prior to the 2005 season, the Hokies had previously only had one player earn All-ACC honors; Domecus was named a second-team outfielder in 2009. The last time the Hokies had four players selected to an all-conference team was in 2004 – their last season in the Big East.

Wates became the first Hokie to earn first-team All-ACC honors after ranking ninth in the league with a .369 batting average and recording team-highs of 34 bases on balls, 15 stolen bases and a .480 on-base percentage during the regular season. The junior from Richmond, Va., also tied for the team lead with four triples, while notching career-highs of seven home runs, 48 RBIs and 53 runs scored.

Domecus appeared on the second team for the second consecutive season after leading the Hokies and ranking eighth in the league with a .372 regular-season batting average. The redshirt-senior from Novato, Calif., also led the team with 55 runs scored, 83 hits, 11 home runs, 25 doubles and a .641 slugging percentage. The 25 doubles tied Domecus for the Virginia Tech single-season record with Casey Waller, who tallied 25 two-baggers back in 1989.

Wright became the first Hokie starting pitcher to earn All-ACC honors after a regular season in which he went 7-4 with a 3.76 earned-run average that ranked eighth in the ACC among starters. The junior lefty from Montclair, Va., struck out a team-high 80 batters over 83.2 innings on the mound, and limited opponents to a .237 batting average. He also owns one of only two complete-game shutouts thrown in the ACC this season, as he blanked Wake Forest back on March 26.

Finally, Rowen earned his second-team nod after leading the ACC with 33 relief appearances, which is just one shy of tying the school record of 34 set by Rhett Ballard back in 2007. The right-handed submariner compiled a 4-1 record, five saves and 3.07 ERA during the regular season, while limiting opponents to a .214 batting average. A native of Ranchos Palos Verdes, Calif., Rowen has thrown 44 innings in relief, while striking out 52 batters and walking just seven.

Virginia Tech will open play at the ACC Championship at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro on Thursday at 8 p.m. The sixth-seeded Hokies will face off against the third-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The entire All-ACC baseball team can be viewed here.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Baseball).