LUBBOCK, Texas ? Georgia Southern's Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) was named to the preseason ?Wallace Watch' for the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award. The prestigious award is given to the ?National Baseball Player of the Year'. The College Baseball Foundation sponsors the award.

Wright is coming off an All-America season in 2008, his first with the Eagles. The senior outfielder earned Second Team All-America honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He also was selected First Team All-Atlantic Region and First Team All-Southern Conference.

Wright was one of five representatives from the Southern Conference listed on the preseason ?Wallace Watch'. The preseason honor comes after one of the most impressive all-around seasons by a Georgia Southern player.

Wright started in 45 of 50 games played and was featured in Sports Illustrated ?Faces in the Crowd' after hitting for the cycle in four consecutive innings (the first four innings of game three) at Wofford.  Overall he tallied 63 runs scored (19th nationally), 52 RBI batting mainly as leadoff hitter, and led the team with 22 doubles (16th). He recorded 17 home runs (22nd in HR per game), including a program record six that led off a game. In fact, eight of his home runs started off an inning. Wright posted a .781 slugging percentage (8th) and .494 on-base percentage (46th).

He tallied 32 walks to 25 strikeouts in 196 at-bats and just missed the .400 club, finishing the year batting at a .398 clip (48th nationally). Wright tied for sixth among the Georgia Southern season doubles leaders. He went 9-for-12 in stolen bases, and hit one of the NCAA record 14 home runs against Columbia (March 15). 

He was named SoCon ?Player of the Month' in April (.410 batting average, 34-for-83), and earned NCBWA ?National Player of the Week' and SoCon ?Player of the Week' honors for the week of April 29.

In the five games against UNC Greensboro, Wright had 10 runs scored, 10 hits and six RBI.  When he hit for the cycle at Wofford, he had five hits, five RBI and three runs scored. Wright recorded a 12-game hitting streak on the year.

At the SoCon tournament, Wright went 6-for-14 with four runs scored, had two outfield assists in the tournament against UNCG.

The Wallace Award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. A four-year starter, he was named All-Southwest Conference and All-District his senior year. He led the Red Raiders to their first-ever appearance in the Southwest Conference Tournament in 1980. After playing two years in the Texas Rangers organization, he returned to Texas Tech and served as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach. In the summer of 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27.

Georgia Southern opens the 2009 season on Friday, February 20th against Presbyterian. The three-game series will take place at J.I. Clements Stadium.