On Friday afternoon, D3baseball.com announced that University of Redlands' senior starting pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) was named to the 2011 All-America Third Team. Prior to the start of this season, Johnson garnered Preseason All-America recognition by D3baseball.com, but this honor is the first of the pitcher's career.
The ace of the Bulldog staff, Johnson carried the crew by ranking among the elite pitchers in the Division III. Currently, he is tied with Marietta University's Brian Gasser for the most victories with 13, while also ranking among the top five in strikeouts (107) and innings pitched (106.2).
In postseason play, the slinger collected UR's first victory at the NCAA Regional Championships since the 1985 season by defeating Trinity University (TX). The senior also picked up his 13th win of the season, setting a program record en route to being named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team.
As the conference player of the year, Johnson led the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in nearly every major statistical category. He headlined the SCIAC in strikeouts (72), victories (9), and fewest home runs allowed (0), while placing second in ERA (2.15), opposing batting average (.201), fewest doubles allowed (4) and total innings pitched (71). This marked Johnson's second consecutive All-Conference honor following last year's First-Team plaudit.
For a complete list of D3baseball.com's All-America team please visit http://www.d3baseball.com/awards/all-americans/d3baseball-allamericans-2011