Redshirt Sophomore Tyler Locklear named Second Team All-American

Arrick Wilson, Sports Editor

Ella Floyd, Contributing Writer

VCU redshirt sophomore Tyler Locklear was named second-team preseason baseball All-American. Locklear is no stranger to success, with the team picking up 17 awards in a strong season last spring that brought the Rams to the Atlantic-10 title. 

Locklear took the road less traveled, sitting out and redshirting his freshman year, then playing the next year as his redshirt freshman year. Redshirting refers to an athlete pausing their athletic participation, often to prolong their career, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

“My experience as a redshirt freshman was kind of a little different than most because of the leadership role the coaches trusted me with at the end of the fall at a younger age with the senior-heavy roster that we had,” Locklear stated in an email. 

Locklear was named an All-American by the scouting website Perfect Game. According to its website, the organization is one of the largest amateur baseball scouting services in the world, hosting more than 1,000 showcases and tournaments each year. Being named an All-American by Perfect Game is determined not through a voting process, but rather selected based on a combination of factors including statistics from the previous year and player ranking relative to their draft status. 

In Perfect Game’s Jan. 5 release of their picks for the 2022 Preseason All-Americans, only 10 college athletes including Locklear received the honor of being named Second Team Hitters. VCU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Rich Witten stated in an email that Locklear was worthy of the awards he gathered last season. 

“Tyler was certainly deserving of the accolades he received after the 2021 season. He proved to be one of the most dominant position players in the country,” Written stated. 

Locklear, however, would receive the news of his prestigious award in a hotel room while traveling to a tournament in Starkville, Mississippi with the team. 

“I didn’t even know at first and it was really cool to hear that and see how all the work that gets put in finally was worth it and was rewarded,” Locklear stated. “We had games to win so it was a short-lived celebration and we had to be focused to win.” 

Despite the expectations one may think this award would carry, Locklear stated he isn’t worried about the pressure getting in his way. 

“Receiving the award didn’t really add any pressure other than just people now know who I am and game plans will change a little bit,” Locklear stated. “I just continued to stay within myself and not let that take over.” 

Locklear, an Abingdon, Maryland local, had a breakout start with VCU baseball, quickly becoming one of the top home run hitters in the country. He ranked No. 31 in the nation in home runs, according to the NCAA. 

At Archbishop Curley High School, Locklear was an all-around athlete according to Locklear’s high school coach, Joseph Gaeta.

“Tyler was one of the most committed players at the school in recent history,” Gaeta stated. “He was consistently the most dominant player on the field in HS [high school] his junior and senior season.”

Locklear played a part in the VCU Rams ending their season winning the 2021 Atlantic-10 Baseball Championship for the first time since 2015. He would also walk away with 17 individual awards from various associations, as well as becoming the first player in the history of the conference to win both Atlantic-10 Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

“The news about that was really exciting because becoming the first to do that, with all the talent that has played throughout the years, was really exciting and also humbling because of how prestigious it was,” Locklear stated.  

With spring rapidly approaching, assistant coach Witten stated he is confident that Locklear has the keys to another season of success. 

“I have confidence that Tyler will perform well this upcoming season. The biggest reason for that is because Tyler is, first of all, a great teammate who loves to win,” Witten stated. “When you have a player as talented as Tyler that also demonstrates leadership by example and work ethic, his results on the field will take care of itself.”

The Rams will start their season on Feb. 18 as they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to play the Rider University Broncos.