BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU rightfielder Dylan Crews has been named the 2021 National Freshman of the Year by Perfect Game.
Crews, a product of Longwood, Fla., hit .362 (89-for-246) this season with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. He has received Second-Team All-America, Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
He is the seventh LSU baseball player to receive National Freshman of the Year recognition, joining second baseman Todd Walker (1992), pitcher Brett Laxton (1993), second baseman Mike Fontenot (2000), pitcher Lane Mestepey (2001), shortstop Alex Bregman (2013) and pitcher Alex Lange (2015).
Crews’ total of 18 home runs represents the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning all-tournament honors as he batted .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
Following is the report on Crews from the staff of Perfect Game:
There was no doubting Dylan Crews [perfectgame.org]’ ability dating back to his high school days as he was one of the top undrafted prospects in the 2020 class and easily one of the most famous names entering college for the first time. With a substantial amount of pressure following his decision to opt out of the 2020 draft, Crews did nothing but impress the coaching staff down in Baton Rouge during the fall and immediately earned the starting right field job along with the everyday three-hole position in the lineup.From the moment the season started, Crews was playing like an absolute dominant force, finishing the year with a slash line of .362/.453/.663 and showing poise, maturity, and ruthlessness in the batter’s box. The freshman outfielder did more than just punish mistakes as he was one of the more consistent leaders in terms of exit velocity, while he showed polish and maturity in the box beyond his years.Crews was a name heading into his first college season but there’s no doubting now that he’s on the forefront in terms of future stars of the sport. Crews knocked in 18 home runs during his freshman campaign, showing why he’s not only one of the best hitters in the sport, but also the early projected 1:1 candidate for the 2023 draft.
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