MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Junior designated hitter Kurt Wertz (South Williamsport H.S./South Williamsport, Pa.) of the Tigers has been named as a third team All-American selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), it has been announced by the NCBWA.

Wertz led the Tigers' baseball team to its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship and a berth in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. The Tigers, who finished the season with a 30-30 record, finished third in the regional as they split two games with No. 23 Florida Atlantic and lost to No. 1 North Carolina.

Wertz is the first Tiger baseball player to be named as a member of the NCBWA All-America team.

A first-team All-CAA selection at designated hitter, Wertz played in 57 games for the Tigers and batted .338. The Tigers' second-leading hitter, he led the team with 13 home runs and 65 runs batted in. His 65 RBI's led the CAA and represented the fourth-highest single season total in school history.

“This is a terrific honor for Kurt,” said Towson Coach Mike Gottlieb. “He really came on strong and carried our team in the second half of the season. Over the last two months of the year, I think he was one of the most dominating hitters on the East Coast.”

Wertz, who scored 43 runs, also had 14 doubles and seven triples. He ranked second in the CAA in triples and his 142 total bases placed him third in the league. Wertz was also fourth in the CAA with a .640 slugging percentage.

A two-time selection as the CAA Player of the Week, he was the Tigers' leading hitter in CAA games. In 27 CAA games, he batted .370 with nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 37 RBI's.

After leading Towson to the number four seed in the CAA Tournament, he helped the Tigers win their first CAA championship as Towson beat Northeastern, top-seeded North Carolina Wilmington and No. 28 William & Mary twice. He earned a berth on the CAA's all-tournament team by batting .417 with two homers and six RBI's. In the Tigers' 5-2 win over William & Mary in the CAA championship game, he had two hits and drove in three runs. In the first inning, his solo homer gave Towson a 1-0 lead. With the Tigers clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, his two-run triple upped their lead to 5-2 as they won the title.

In the NCAA regionals at Chapel Hill, he led the Tigers to a 7-2 win over No. 23 Florida Atlantic with two hits, two stolen bases and two runs scored. In an 8-5 loss to No. 1 North Carolina, he had a two-run single.

Wertz is Towson's first All-American since shortstop Gary Helmick was honored in 2009.