Alabama Baseball’s Chandler Taylor Selected to the 2016 Freshman All-SEC Team

Alabama baseball’s freshman outfielder Chandler Taylor was selected to the 2016 Freshman All-SEC Team as an outfielder, the league announced on Monday afternoon. 

One of the top hitters on the Crimson Tide, Taylor has excelled in his first season of collegiate play. He is the only Alabama player to homer in back-to-back games twice this season, first from April 22-23 at Texas A&M and then at Arkansas from May 13-14. The outfielder also leads the team in walks with 37, 24 of which have come during SEC play, and is tied for the team-high total in home runs with nine. He has also reached base safely in 27 of 29 conference matchups, including his last 18.

Taylor has improved as the year has worn on. In his last 23 games overall, he has batted .321 (25-78) with four doubles, a triple, five home runs, 20 RBI, 12 runs scored, 24 walks and 46 total bases. Over that time, he ranks first or second in nearly every offensive category, including first in RBI, walks, total bases, slugging (.590) and on-base (.485) percentage, and is second in hits and stolen bases.

His SEC numbers are equally impressive. He is batting a team-leading .295 (31-105) with 16 extra-base hits (seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs), 25 RBI, 16 runs, 24 walks and 63 total bases. Taylor has reached base safely in 18 straight SEC games and is currently in the middle of a nine-game hitting streak against conference opposition. Across his streak, he is batting .441 (15-34) with three doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI, six runs scored and eight walks. He is slugging .794 and sports an on-base percentage of .548, both team-highs, while going a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.

The conference announced its 2016 Baseball Awards and All-SEC Teams on Monday afternoon recognizing standout performances from the season. The 2016 SEC Baseball Tournament will be played Tuesday through Sunday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.