The University of Delaware’s bright baseball future was recognized in a big way this week as three Blue Hen rookies were honored with spots on the 2016 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team as selected by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

Left-handed pitcher Brandon Walter, first baseman Nick Patten and outfielder Kyle Baker each earned Freshman All-American notice and were among 121 NCAA Division I players recognized.

UD has now placed 11 players on the Freshman All-American team as Walter, Patten and Baker were preceded by third baseman Brian Wallace in 1991, outfielder Kevin Mench in 1997, pitcher Rich McGuire in 1999, catcher John Schneider in 2003, outfielder Dan Richardson in 2005, third baseman Alex Buchholz in 2006, second baseman D.J. Long in 2010, and third baseman Diaz Nardo last season.

Baker and Walter each were named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association third team last month and both joined Patten on the All-Rookie team.

Baker, one of the top freshmen in the league and one of the team’s fastest players, batted over .400 for much of the season before finishing the year hitting at a .346 clip, good for second on the team, ninth in the CAA, and first among all league rookies.

He contributed 66 hits, 38 runs, 12 doubles and 13 stolen bases and committed just three errors in 99 chances in the outfield (.970). He also had 20 multiple-hit games, including a season-high four twice, and his batting average was the highest for a UD freshman since Long hit .350 in 2010.

Walter was the team’s No. 2 pitcher throughout the season behind sophomore Ron Marinaccio and showed constant improvement the entire campaign. One of the top rookie hurlers in the CAA, he made 14 starts, posted a record of 7-3, had a 3.63 earned run average, and struck out 85 batters in 89.1 innings of work. He led or tied for the team lead in starts, wins, innings pitched, earned run average, strikeouts, and opponent batting average.

He led all CAA freshman pitchers in innings pitched, earned run average, strikeouts, and opponent batting average (.232), and was No. 2 in wins. He also pitched seven or more innings in each of his final six starts of the season, winning his final three appearances of the season.

Patten was the team’s top slugger throughout the season and ended the year with a team-best 12 home runs and a .565 slugging percentage. He played in 52 games, collected 53 hits, scored 48 runs, stole seven bases, and ranked second on the team with 16 doubles and with 46 RBI. He also was outstanding with the glove at first base as he committed just seven errors in 422 chances (.983).

He ranked No. 4 overall in the CAA with 12 home runs, No. 6 in RBI and slugging percentage and No. 8 in doubles, and led all CAA freshmen in each of those categories. He hit two home runs each against La Salle and Towson and collected a season-high against Elon. His 12 home runs were the most by a Delaware player since Nick Ferdinand had 15 in 2013 and the most by a UD freshman since Buchholz clouted 18 in 2006.

Head coach Jim Sherman led the Blue Hens to an overall mark of 32-22, the team’s highest win total since 2013, and Delaware narrowly missed a spot in the CAA Tournament with a league mark of 10-14. The Hens finished just two games out of the sixth and final spot in the tournament field.

Delaware was one of just 19 teams to have more than one player recognized on the Freshman All-American team and just one of eight to have three or more mentioned. Texas Christian led the way with four selections while Delaware, Wichita State, Vanderbilt, Houston, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, and Missouri State each had three players honored.

Clemson outfielder Seth Beer and Tennessee Tech outfielder Kevin Strohschein were selected as Freshman Co-Players of the Year; Cal State Fullerton pitcher Colton Eastman was named Freshman Starting Pitcher of the Year; and Oregon State closer Bryce Fehmel was picked as Freshman Relief Pitcher of the Year.

For more on UD Athletics, see BlueHens.com.