EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time since 1996, the University of Evansville baseball team had three players earn All-Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association on Tuesday, as graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger (St. Louis, Mo./Priory), senior designated hitter Kip Fougerousse (Linton, Ind./Linton-Stockton) and freshman pitcher Kenton Deverman (Dardenne Prairie, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West) all earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors.
Shallenberger and Fougerousse both earned first-team All-Region honors, while Deverman earned second-team honors. For UE, it is the first time since 1996 when former UE greats Jamey Carroll, Ryan Brownlee, and Andy Noblitt all earned All-Region honors in which Evansville has had three players capture All-Region honors.
Shallenberger earned first-team All-Region honors in the outfield after a season in which he currently ranks in the NCAA’s Top 100 in 11 different offensive categories. He ranks 13th nationally in on-base percentage at .514, while also ranking among the nation’s best with a .374 average, a .687 slugging percentage, 21 doubles, 17 home runs, 64 RBI and 72 runs scored. He also set UE single-season records for both runs scored and hit-by-pitches (28), while posting an impressive 1.201 OPS offensively.
Fougerousse was named first-team All-Region at designated hitter after setting UE single-season records for both hits (94) and home runs (22) this season. Overall, Fougerousse hit .348 this year with 21 doubles, 22 home runs, and a triple among a school-record 94 hits, while boasting a .678 slugging percentage and 1.106 OPS. He also finished the year leading the Purple Aces with 71 RBI.
Deverman earned second-team All-Region honors and is the first UE freshman ever to earn ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors after being named the MVC Freshman of the Year this season. Deverman captured Freshman All-America honors on Monday, and he currently leads all NCAA freshmen in both victories (nine) and innings pitched (111.0). Overall, Deverman went 9-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 18 appearances, including 16 starts, striking out 83 men against just 23 walks in 111.0 innings of work.
Evansville went 39-26 this season, advancing on to the 2024 NCAA Tournament by winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. The Purple Aces won the Greenville (N.C.) Regional Tournament and forced #1 national seed Tennessee to the “if necessary” game three of the Knoxville Super Regional in UE’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional Tournament appearance.
