Collegiate Baseball Release

MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine's A.J. Puckett became the 15th player in Pepperdine history to earn All-American first team honors with the release of Collegiate Baseball's 2016 All-American teams.

Puckett is one of eight pitchers to earn the first-team recognition and one of 17 players overall. The last Wave named to Collegiate Baseball's first team was Jay Gehrke in 1999. Aaron Brown was the program's last first-team All-American, earning the honor in 2014 from the American Baseball Coaches Association. It is Puckett's first All-American honor of his career.

The Waves' ace was also named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist earlier this week and is a National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist. He is the only player from the West Coast Conference named to Collegiate Baseball's first team. BYU's Michael Rucker and Saint Mary's Corbin Burnes were both named to the third team.

Puckett put up the third best ERA in both Pepperdine and WCC history with a 1.27 mark in what was one of the most remarkable seasons in program history. Puckett finished the year fourth in the NCAA in ERA, 10th in WHIP (0.92) and 16th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.89), also leading the WCC in all three categories. He held opponents to a .191 batting average, all while striking out 95 batters and walking just 26.

Puckett went 9-3 for the Waves, leading Pepperdine to a 29-win season and 16-11 mark in the WCC. He put up one of the most dominant stretches in NCAA history, tossing 45.2 consecutive scoreless innings and 57.1 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. Both marks were Pepperdine records and the 45.2 scoreless inning streak was the third longest in NCAA history. Puckett posted eight starts this year in which he did not allow an earned run and seven in which he did not give up a run at all. He also had five starts with at least eight strikeouts and one or fewer walks, including a complete-game shutout of Portland in which he struck out a career-high 12 batters and walked none.

After dazzling scouts for the past four months, the junior righty is eligible for the MLB Draft later this month.