Bates, Mack, Corona named All-Louisiana in college baseball

A trio of Lincoln Parish college baseball stars received another postseason honor after producing at a high level on the diamond.

Louisiana Tech’s Ethan Bates and Grambling State’s Keylon Mack made the 2023 Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) All-Louisiana Baseball First Team, along with Tech catcher Jorge Corona who made Second Team.

Bates arrived in Ruston this spring after transferring from Navarro Junior College and showed little sign of trouble in making the jump into the Division I, starting 56 games as a position player while also making 25 appearances on the mound as a consistent utility talent.

He hit .270 with 16 home runs, 38 RBIs and 36 runs to go with 44 2/3 innings of pitching work at a 3.02 ERA and 57 strikeouts, good enough to earn First Team All-Conference USA Utility.

Bates’ 16 homers ranked second on the Bulldogs and seventh in C-USA this season, while posting a team-best ERA. His 10 saves tied for the second most in a single season in program history.

Mack stood out as a powerful bat in Grambling’s lineup this season, batting .350 with 16 home runs – second most in the SWAC – 59 RBIs and 19 doubles. The redshirt senior was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I South All-Region First Team and was an All-SWAC First Team selection.

Mack, the Tigers’ starting first baseman, had 6 errors in three seasons (130 games) at GSU, while finishing his time with a .313 average and 30 career homers.

Corona was a weapon at the dish and behind the plate for Tech this season, starting 50 games with a slash line of .282/.513/.387 (BA/SLG/OBP) with 9 home runs, 18 doubles, and 35 RBIs. His 18 doubles led the team and tied for third most in C-USA.

The Miami native threw out 20 runners trying to steal, good for second most in C-USA and more than anyone in the Power Five (SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12, ACC).

The major awards for the All-Louisiana team were given to LSU’s Dylan Crews (Hitter of the Year), Paul Skenes (Pitcher of the Year), Tommy White (Newcomer of the Year) and Jay Johnson (Coach of the Year). Nicholls State’s Jacob Mayers was voted as the Freshman of the Year.

Crews earns his second straight LSWA Hitter of the Year award, after being named the 2023 Golden Spikes Award Winner. The junior outfielder led the Tigers with a .426 batting average to go along with 18 home runs and 70 runs batted in, scoring 100 runs. He led the nation in bases on balls (71), third in batting average (.426), second in hits (110), and led the nation in runs scored (100).

The Longwood, Florida, native completes an impressive award haul including a second straight SEC Player of the Year recognition and was named a consensus first-team All-American. Crews received 27 of the possible 31 votes for Hitter of the Year.

Skenes also won Pitcher of the Year in convincing fashion, taking 29 votes. Skenes, the Dick Howser Trophy Winner, put together one of the most dominating single seasons on the mound in college baseball history.

The junior went 13-2 on the season with a 1.69 ERA, the second best in the NCAA this season. He struck out 209 batters, a LSU and SEC single-season record. His postseason award haul also includes SEC Pitcher of the Year as well as being named a consensus first-team All-American.