Mitch Harris is Navy's first All-American pitcher since Drew Tanner in 1986

June 23, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. - Navy sophomore right-handed pitcher Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) has been selected as a 2006 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Third-Team All-American, it was announced on Friday prior to the start of the College World Series.

Harris is one of only 10 sophomores recognized as an All-American by the ABCA, four of which are pitchers. The sophomore right-hander also joins 18 other pitchers to garner All-America distinction.

Harris is the first Midshipman to earn All-America accolades since Todd Butler was a Third-Team All-American shortstop in 1993. The sophomore is also Navy's first All-American pitcher since Drew Tanner was named a second-team selection in 1986.

The sophomore tied the Patriot League single-season record with 10 wins, established a new Patriot League single-season strikeout record with 113 strikeouts and ranked second in league history with a 1.74 earned run average. Harris also is the only pitcher in the Patriot League this season to sport an opposing batting average under .200 (.189) and a WHIP less than 1.00 (0.93).

In his final start of the season against Coppin State on May 10, Harris hurled the fifth complete-game no-hitter in the program's 111-year history. The right-hander faced only one batter over the minimum and used 90 pitches, 64 of which were strikes, to record Navy's first complete-game no-hitter in more than seven years. Harris struck out a career-high 12 batters in that contest, marking the seventh time he had fanned 10-plus batters in a game during his sophomore campaign.

On that same day, Harris was named the 2006 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year. The sophomore became the fourth Midshipmen to earn the award and marked the sixth time that a Navy pitcher has been honored as the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year since 1995.

Harris opened the 2006 season with wins in each of his first-seven starts, the first time a Navy pitcher had recorded the feat in 45 years. Over the sophomore's final-five starts of the year, he posted a 0.82 earned run average in 33.0 innings with 42 strikeouts and a .123 (14-for-114) opposition batting average.

Harris ranks among the top-35 pitchers in the country in three categories. The sophomore's 12.30 strikeouts per nine innings places him fourth in the nation, while his 1.74 earned run average ranks ninth and 10 victories are tied for 34th.

In addition to his pitching exploits, Harris also batted .333 (50-for-150) with 29 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples, one home run and 27 runs batted in.

Navy ended its season with a 32-21-1 record, 8-12 in the Patriot League. Navy's 32 victories are the second-most in program history, while its 20-win improvement over last year's mark is the largest increase in Navy history and tied for the biggest turnaround in Patriot League history.