Madison, WI – December 15, 2011.  2011 Mallard and Oregon State junior right-handed pitcher Tony Bryant has been named a preseason First-Team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Thursday.

Bryant, a native of Kennewick, WA played for the Mallards in 2011.  He led the Mallards bullpen with a 2-0 record and a 0.96 ERA, and had five saves while striking out 19 batters in 18 2/3 innings of work.

“Tony excelled for us both as a player and a person. He is a pretty reserved person until he gets in the game, but I don’t know of many guys I would rather have on the mound when the game is on the line,” Mallards Manager Greg Labbe said.  “Tony deserves all the credit and accolades that he receives because he works tremendously hard and takes great pride in how he performs on the mound.” 

Bryant was an All-PAC 10 First-Team selection in 2011 with the Beavers after posting a 3-2 record and a 1.52 ERA while going a perfect 12 for 12 in save opportunities. He was selected in the 25th round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Minnesota Twins, but did not sign.  In his two seasons at Oregon State, Bryant has a 3-2 record with a 2.49 ERA in 42 games.  His 12 saves are good for a tie for third in the OSU history books.

“I would expect Tony to continue to get better because of his work ethic and ability,” Labbe said.  “He seemed to turn the corner last year and I think we are all just beginning to see the makings of a great player.”