Bush Named First Team Preseason All-American
11/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 7, 2001
Winston-Salem, NC -- Wake Forest senior relief pitcher Dave Bush was selected as a first team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Wednesday.
A third team selection by the organization last year, Bush will lead the Demon Deacons in defense of their ACC Championship.
Last spring as a junior at Wake Forest, Bush was chosen as the ACC Tournament's Most Valuable Player, helping the Deacons to their third ACC title in four years. Bush was also a first team All-ACC selection. He finished second in the nation in saves with 16 and became the school's all-time leader in saves and appearances.
"It's quite an honor," Bush said of Wednesday's announcement. "It's something to be proud of but it's not necessarily something you work for. But it's nice to see hard work and dedication to the sport pay off. Obviously it creates a lot of expectations and I certainly don't want to disappoint. I think as long as I keep my goals in order and continue to work hard, everything will take care of itself."
"No one is more deserving. David proves himself to be college baseball's best closer every time he is on the mound," head coach George Greer said. "He is a young man who enjoys his teammates, enjoys college and enjoys college baseball."
This summer, Bush elected to return for his senior season despite being drafted in the fourth round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in June's amateur draft.
With 112 appearances through three seasons, Bush will have the opportunity to become the NCAA's all-time leader in that category. Tom Hickox of Stetson (1988-91) currently holds the record with 151 career appearances. Bush will need 40 appearances to become the leader. He took the hill 36 times as a sophomore and 41 times as a junior.
Bush, a native of Devon, Pa., comes off another impressive summer in the Cape Cod League. For the second straight season, he was selected a Cape Cod League All-Star. Bush was ranked the second best pro prospect in the league by Baseball America. He finished the season with a 0.34 earned run average in 26.2 innings with 35 strikeouts and just three walks. Bush allowed just one earned run in 19 games this summer.