LaViolette named to All-SEC Freshman Team following historic season

Was there any doubt?

Jace LaViolette was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team on Monday afternoon. 

The heavy-hitting freshman lived up to every expectation coming into the season and much more.

Certainly in the running for Freshman of the Year, LaViolette put quite the bow on his first campaign in the league by eclipsing John Byington’s program record for most home runs by a freshman thanks to a monster three-homer performance this past Saturday.

Not only was he the first Aggie since 2019 to earn Freshman Player of the Week honors in Week 8 for pounding three bombs in a road series victory at Auburn, he just added a Player of the Week award to his rapidly-crowding mantel for leading A&M to a successful weekend in Starkville.

There’s plenty of power within his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame, and he wasn’t afraid to show it off throughout the season. He had four multi-homer games and five with more than three RBIs.

LaViolette looked like a seasoned hitter on more than one occasion. He went 4-for-10 with five RBIs and three walks during Opening Weekend. He also hit a walk-off, two-run double to salvage a series finale against Portland and crushed a go-ahead grand slam in game two vs. Ole Miss.

With the postseason beginning on Tuesday at the SEC Tournament, LaViolette leads A&M in home runs (18), RBIs (57), total bases (125), stolen bases (16) and slugging percentage (.672) in addition to a few other categories. The Katy native is also batting .306.

Just a reminder assuming those numbers led you to believe differently — he’s only a freshman.

Somehow, LaViolette was the only Aggie honored by the 2023 All-SEC Baseball Awards.

Shockingly, Hunter Haas and Jack Moss (for a second season in a row) did not find their names listed despite hitting .322 and .369, respectively in 2023.

All-SEC Team

First-team
C: Cole Messina, Sotuh Carolina
1B: Jac Caglianone, Florida
2B: Cade Kurland, Florida
3B: Tommy White, LSU
SS: Josh Rivera, Florida
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Wyatt Langford, Florida
OF: Ethan Petry, South Carolina
SP: Paul Skenes, LSU
SP: Hagen Smith
RP: Brandon Neely, Florida
DH/UT: Hunter Hines, Mississippi State

Second-Team
C: Calvin Harris, Ole Miss
1B: Charlie Condon, Georgia
2B: Emilien Pitre, Kentucky
3B: Luke Mann, Missouri*
3B: Bryson Ware, Auburn*
SS: Jacob Gonzalez, Ole Miss
OF: Kemp Alderman, Ole Miss
OF: Erique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Andrew Pinckney, Alabama*
OF: Jared Dickey, Tennessee*
SP: Devin Futrell, Vanderbilt
SP: Brandon Sproat, Florida
RP: Nick Maldonado, Vanderbilt
DH/UT: Kendall Diggs, Arkansas

Freshman All-SEC Team
Charlie Condon, Georgia
Ethan Petry, South Carolina
Ike Irish, Auburn
Cade Kurland, Florida
Colby Shelton, Alabama
Jared Jones, LSU
Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
Alton Davis II, Alabama
Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State
Gage Wood, Arkansas
RJ Austin, Vanderbilt
Luke Heyman, Florida

SEC All-Defensive Team
C: Fernando Gonzalez, Georgia
1B: Drew Williamson, Alabama*
1B: Hunter Gilliam, Kentucky*
2B: Emilien Pitre, Kentucky
3B: Davis Diaz, Vanderbilt
SS: Jim Jarvis, Alabama
OF: Enrique Bradfield, Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Tavian Josenberger, Arkansas*
OF: Kason Howell, Auburn*
P: Hagen Smith, Arkansas
*Ties (Ties are not broken)

Player of the Year: Dylan Crews, LSU
Pitcher of the Year: Paul Skenes, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Charlie Condon, Georgia
Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ben Anderson, Georgia
Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Andrew Pinckney, Alabama
Coach of the Year: Dave Van Horn, Arkansas