Justin Bardwell Named Preseason Third Team All-America by Collegiate Baseball

Collegiate Baseball Article
 
Tucson, Ariz. – (December 17, 2018) – Fordham senior catcher Justin Bardwell (Chino Hills, Calif.) was one of six catchers listed on Collegiate Baseball's Division I Preseason All-America Team, that was released on Monday. 
 
Bardwell along with Washington's Nic Kahle were named Third Team Preseason All-America, while Baylor's Shea Langeliers, Missouri State's Drew Millas, and Jacksonville State's Nic Gaddis earned Second Team honors.  The lone First Team honoree was Oregon State's Adley Rutschman, who was also the publication's projected Player of the Year.
 
Bardwell was also one of two Atlantic 10 players on the preseason All-America Team, joining VCU's Mac McCarty.

 
Bardwell, who has twice been on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List for the nation's top catcher, is coming off a career-year, setting new personal-highs for batting average (.284), runs (28), hits (57), doubles (20), RBI (36), walks (18), and stolen bases (4).  He was the Atlantic 10 leader in doubles in 2018, becoming the fifth Ram to have 20 doubles in a single season. 
 
Aside from leading the team in doubles, Bardwell was second on the squad in hits and RBI, while being third in batting average, multi-hit games (14), and multi-RBI games (8).  He earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week once during the 2018 season, as well as academic honors for the first time in his career.  He was named to both the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and the ECAC Academic Honor Roll.
 
Bardwell will begin his senior season along with the rest of the Rams on February 15^th, when Fordham takes on Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.