Thursday January 26, 2012

AUGUSTA, Ga. – University of South Carolina Aiken senior Nick Aranas has been chosen to the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team.

The 2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team was released from the conference office on Thursday, Jan. 26. Aranas was selected to the team as a designated hitter.

In total, 13 players were named to the team, expanded from the usual 11 due to a three-way tie at designated hitter. Nine of the 12 baseball-playing schools in the Peach Belt had at least one player on the team with Armstrong, Columbus State, Francis Marion and Montevallo having two each.

The team was selected by the league’s head coaches.

Named a Player to Watch by the American Baseball Coaches Association recently, Aranas missed the entire 2011 season due to injury after entering the season as a preseason All-American and a member of the Peach Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference Team. He was named to the 2011 Tino Martinez Award Watch List.

Aranas ended his junior season by being named to the 2010 NCAA Division II Daktronics All-America Baseball First-Team as a designated hitter.

Aranas finished the 2010 season leading the Pacers with a .415 (83-for-200) batting average. The batting average was the third-best in the Peach Belt Conference in 2010.

In total, the Lexington, S.C. native finished the 2010 season in the top 15 in the PBC in six different categories.

Aranas was second-best among all Pacers in 2010 with 53 RBIs and 46 runs scored. He was second on the squad in total bases over the course of the year as well with 129.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press