2011 Preseason All-America Baseball Team
Peter O'Brien
Catcher | Bethune-CookmanO'Brien becomes the first player from a historically black college to earn a slot on any sort of baseball All-America team since Rickie Weeks. O'Brien isn't Weeks, but he's a solid bet to become the first catcher drafted this spring because of his strong arm and prodigious power. He started building his campaign by buoying Bethune-Cookman to its 10th MEAC title in 11 seasons, while earning conference MVP honors. O'Brien batted .386 and ranked best in his league and 25th nationally with 20 home runs and a .748 slugging percentage. O'Brien answered any questions about the legitimacy of his league relative to those numbers when he helped Team USA's silver medal-winning effort last summer in Japan by producing team-best numbers in home runs (4) and slugging percentage (.694).
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