University of North Carolina Athletics
Hubbard, Iannetta Honored by Baseball America
June 18, 2004 | Baseball
June 18, 2004
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina's highest selections from last week's Major League Baseball First-year Player Draft, juniors Marshall Hubbard and Chris Iannetta, each claimed third-team All-America honors from Baseball America, the publication announced Thursday.
An eighth-round choice by the Seattle Mariners, Hubbard has now earned All-America honors from all four major sources. In addition to Baseball America, he picked up first-team All-America honors from USA Today Sports Weekly, second-team honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and third-team accolades from Collegiate Baseball. A fourth-round pick by the Colorado Rockies, Iannetta was also selected to the third team by Collegiate Baseball.
Playing his first year at Carolina after transferring from William & Mary, Hubbard started all 64 games, mainly in right field, and led the Tar Heels with a .352 average, 17 homers and single-season school record 83 runs batted in. He also had 21 doubles, which ranks as the fifth-best single-season total in program history, and his 41 extra-base hits were the third most in Tar Heel history. A native of Ashland, Va., Hubbard also led the ACC in RBI with 1.30 per game. He was also named first-team All-ACC and joined Iannetta on the all-tournament teams at ACC Championship and the NCAA Columbia Regional.
A three-year starter, Iannetta had an outstanding junior season, batting .336 with 15 home runs, 19 doubles and 71 runs batted in to rank second behind Hubbard in each category. Defensively, he threw out 24-of-48 runners and picked off nine others. A native of Providence, R.I., Iannetta committed just seven errors in 571 chances for a .988 fielding percentage. He is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, presented to the nation's top catcher, and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded to the nation's top collegiate player. Iannetta was also voted first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and named third-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He earned all-tournament honors at both the ACC Championship and the NCAA Columbia Regional.
