After posting a very impressive freshman season that saw him finish with a Big Ten Conference ninth-best average at .383 with 5 home runs and 53 RBIs, Sabourin picked up Freshman All-America Honors from both the National College Baseball Writers Association and Ping!Baseball. He was also named to the Second Team Freshman All-American Team by the Pro-Line Athletic National Baseball Writers Association in 2008. Coaches and teammates compare his easy swing to that of former Chicago Cub great Mark Grace. As of May 16 Sabourin was hitting .348 (77-for-221) with 14 doubles, 3 triples, 5 home runs, and 35 RBIs in 53 games. He also had an on-base percentage of .396.