Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU's Len Elias Named to NCBWA Preseason All-America Team
November 07, 2001 | Baseball
Nov. 7, 2001
Bowling Green, Ohio -
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The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association today announced its third annual preseason All-America Division I baseball teams for the 2002 season. Included among the teams announced was Bowling Green State University's Len Elias. The senior left-fielder was named to the third-team by the NCBWA.
Elias finished the 2001 season with the team's best batting average (.397 avg.) on a Falcon club that finished as the No. 1 hitting team in the nation with a .360 team batting average and .599 slugging percentage. His .397 average ranked him 51st in the nation among all Division I players in 2001.
He was recognized as a second-team All-MAC selection after knocking in 58 RBIs with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and two triples. In 204 at-bats, Elias struck out a team-low 24 times among BGSU starters. Overall, Elias was second on the team last year in at-bats (204), runs scored (62), hits (81), RBIs (58) and total bases (139).
The 5-11, 185-pounder from Mississauga, Ontario will enter his senior season as the school's all-time career leader in doubles (45) and will be just 31 runs away from becoming the career-leader in runs scored at Bowling Green. Elias is also fifth all-time in total bases (311).
Bowling Green captured its third MAC East Division title in four years last season with a 18-9 league mark and were 36-18 overall. The Falcons start their 2002 season with a three-game series at the University of Tennessee beginning on Feb. 15.
On the 72-man contingent, which includes both starting pitchers and relief men, there are 12 different conferences represented and players from 21 different states where their universities are located.
