SAVANNAH, Ga. - Armstrong Atlantic State University sophomore pitcher Ethan Bader and junior outfielder Zach Taylor have each earned recent accolades at the beginning of the 2012 college baseball season.

Bader was named as a Top 10 draft prospect out of NCAA Division II by Baseball America's John Manuel. The 6-5 220-pound starter joined Armstrong from Lake Sumter CC and won his first start for the Pirates in last Friday's 6-4 win over Winston-Salem State. Bader is listed at No. 8 in the Top 10 prospects. You can view the entire list, along with other notes from DII, here.

Meanwhile, both Bader and Taylor, the Santa Fe CC transfer and Statesboro, Ga., native, have been named to Collegiate Baseball Lineup's preseason Tino Martinez DII National Player of the Year watch list. This list is not necessarily the final list of players who will be considered for the award, named for the long-time major league first baseman who excelled at the University of Tampa in the late 1980s, but puts players in mind for a future online vote at tinoaward.com that will be announced at the DII World Series from May 26th through June 2nd in Cary, N.C.

View the complete Tino Martinez Watch List here.

The No. 22-ranked Armstrong baseball squad returns to action on Friday, February 10, hosting Concord in a 2:00 p.m. contest at Pirate Field.