Pepperdine's Hunter named preseason All-American
By Shuhei Matsuo Special to the Acorn

Former Moorpark High standout Brett Hunter added another impressive accomplishment to his resume when he was named to Baseball America's 2008 Preseason All-America first-team last Friday.

"It's a great honor to me," said the junior pitcher for the Pepperdine Waves. "I'm very humble about it."

As a sophomore a year ago, Hunter posted a 6-5 record with a 3.94 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched.

Following his freshman season in 2006, when he went 5-3 with a 2.83 ERA and logged 11 saves, Hunter was named Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, as well as being an AllWest Coast Conference first-team selection and making the WCC All-Freshman squad.

Although those honors were meaningful, Hunter said college baseball isn't just about receiving personal awards and high rankings. In fact, the 2007 Pepperdine squad was ranked 19th before the season began, but disappointingly failed to reach the regional championship game for the third year in a row.

"You don't want to dwell on it too much," Hunter said. "You want to go out there, and you don't want to change anything."

He said his focus is on winning every game he pitches and taking his team to Omaha, Neb., where the NCAA Division I college baseball championship will take place in June.

Although Hunter has shown remarkable ability during the past two seasons, spending last summer with the U.S. National Team gave him more confidence with his game for the upcoming season.

He said playing with the nation's best college players and competing against other countries was an amazing experience.

"It's just a great honor to represent your country, honestly," he said. "Just to go out there every day with 'USA' on your chest, it's a lot of fun."

Hunter and the Waves will begin their season Saturday at 1 p.m. with the annual Alumni Game at Pepperdine's Eddy D. Field Stadium.