Ole Miss’s junior closer Parker Caracci and senior outfielder Ryan Olenek have been named to preseason All-American teams by Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. The accolades come after a season in which the two led Ole Miss to its third SEC Championship in school history and first since 2006.
Olenek was named a third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Caracci made Perfect Game’s All-American first team, joining Arkansas’ Heston Kjerstad as the only other SEC player to make the cut, and Collegiate Baseball’s second team.
Caracci is one of two closers on Perfect Game’s first team, with Stanford’s Jack Little being the other. The selection comes after Caracci’s stellar sophomore season, in which he became the Rebels’ primary closer following Dallas Woolfolk’s midseason departure from the team.
Caracci was Ole Miss’s go-to guy to end a game last year, and the team will look to him for more of the same in 2019. He amassed 10 saves and allowed just one home run in his 48.0 innings on the mound. He accomplished all this while also striking out 73 batters and walking just 14 in the process, good for a 5.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
After being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 37th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Caracci opted to return to Ole Miss for his junior season. In the meantime, he spent time with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team over the summer. During his time with the National Team, Caracci pitched 9.2 innings and registered an ERA of 0.00.
Olenek received Collegiate Baseball’s third-team nod after a First-Team All-SEC campaign in 2018. He was also a finalist for the Ferriss Trophy, which is given annually to the most prolific college baseball player in Mississippi.
Similarly to Caracci, Olenek returns for his senior season, after being selected in the 17th round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants, with a couple of Ole Miss records in sight. If he achieves 257 at-bats and 20 doubles in 2019, Olenek will hold the all-time mark in each category. He is also looking to improve upon his team-leading .350 batting average, 83 hits and 18 doubles from a year ago.
With opening day just around the corner, Caracci’s ability to maintain his All-American form throughout the season and into the postseason will be something to keep an eye on this year. That, along with Olenek’s leadership and ability to keep a proficient offense motivated for the long season ahead, will be tested.
