Tech’s Bates earns All-America honors

Ethan Bates was the only player in the country with at least 15 home runs and at least 10 saves. (Courtesy photo)

Louisiana Tech’s Ethan Bates added to his postseason hardware as the junior was named Third Team All-America by Collegiate Baseball, announced by the publication Thursday.

It marks the fourth straight year that a Bulldog has earned all-American honors.

Bates, a two-way transfer from Navarro College who earned First Team All-Conference USA honors, was key in late innings on the mound and in the batting lineup for the Bulldogs.


As a relief pitcher, he made 25 appearances while throwing 44.2 innings and collected 10 saves in the process, which tied for the second most in a single season in program history and tied for the 19th most in the country.

He also anchored the pitching staff with a 3.02 ERA while allowing opponents to hit just .214, plus tallying 57 strikeouts in route to a 4-3 overall record.

At the plate, Bates batted .270 on the year and blasted the second-most home runs on the team with 16. His .917 OPS was the best of any Bulldog as he made 56 starts as an infielder/designated hitter.