Edwardsville's Jordan Hovey had one of the St. Louis area's best seasons at the plate in 2015.
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Hovey, who played shortstop for the Tigers, hit .382 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs while scoring 46 runs while sporting a .526 on-base percentage and an .800 slugging percentage in 102 at-bats for the Tigers' 35-2 season this year.
Hovey's season was recognized in a big way recently as he was named to the Louisville Slugger High School All-American team; the team was revealed in the current issue of Collegiate Baseball News (baseballnews.com). Hovey was joined by Alton's Bryan Hudson, who was named to the team as a pitcher
“I'd never even been all-(Southwestern Conference) before,” Hovey said. “It's fun to get an award like this, really exciting.”
Hovey's numbers took a sharp climb from 2014, when he hit .234 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 77 at-bats for the Tigers. “I'd been hitting the same way for the previous two years,” Hovey said, “and I added a leg kick that helped. Mostly, though, it was a mental thing; I learned from my mistakes and had a lot of help from my teammates.
“It's a timing thing, and my teammates were always there to help when they saw something. I stayed even-keel about things as well, and that really helped.”
While being named to the team was a honor, Hovey admitted he'd rather have played a bit longer for the Tigers, who were eliminated in the IHSA Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan Sectional semifinals by O'Fallon. “I'd rather have played longer,” Hovey said, “but we still had a great season.”
Hovey will be playing next season at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel.
