Three Cavaliers Named to All-ACC Team

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Three members of the Virginia baseball team have been named to the 2012 All-ACC Team, which was announced Monday by the conference office. Branden Kline (Jr., Frederick, Md.), Justin Thompson (Sr., Danville, Va.) and Keith Werman (Sr., Vienna, Va.) each were the named to the All-ACC second team. The All-ACC team was voted upon by the league’s 12 head coaches.

Kline was named to the all-conference squad for the second-straight year, with the 2012 distinction coming as a starting pitcher. He earned first-team honors last season as a relief pitcher.

Kline has made a successful transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation this year. He owns a 6-3 record and 3.89 ERA this season. In a team-high 81 innings, he has struck out 84 batters and held opponents to a .244 batting average. He has been particularly strong in ACC play, where he has limited his foes to a .227 batting average, which is 10th lowest in the conference. He was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on March 26 after throwing a complete-game two-hitter against Clemson on March 24.

Thompson was one of two second-team selections at relief pitcher. It is his first All-ACC honor. A member of the midseason watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, Thompson is 4-3 this season with a 2.52 earned run average. In a team-high 30 appearances, he has worked 35.2 innings and racked up 11 saves, which ranks fourth in the conference. Nine of his saves have come in ACC play – that total ranks second among conference pitchers.

Werman was a second-team selection at second base. It marks his second All-ACC honor; he also was a second-team pick at second base in 2010. Werman is batting .282 this season in 52 games, but he has been especially strong in ACC play, where he is batting .342. That ranks ninth in the league. Werman currently ranks first nationally with 23 sacrifice bunts; he holds the school record with 68 career sacrifice bunts. He has committed just three errors this season – good for a .991 fielding percentage.

Virginia (36-16-1, 18-12 ACC) is the No. 4 seed in the upcoming ACC Baseball Championship. The Cavaliers begin tournament play at 11 a.m. Thursday when they play Clemson at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.