Two Members of the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Baseball Teams Selected In First Round Of MLB Draft
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Two members of the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Baseball Teams as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) — junior catcher Buster Posey of Florida State University and junior infielder Gordon Beckham of the University of Georgia — were chosen in the first round of the ’08 Major League Baseball Draft.
Posey, the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American® of the Year in the University Division and first team honoree, was the fifth overall pick by the San Francisco Giants, while Beckham, a second-team selection, was the eighth pick by the Chicago White Sox. Both of these student-athletes’ teams are competing in this weekend’s NCAA Super Region for one of the eight spots in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Posey owns a 3.79 grade index as a finance major and Beckham has a 3.21 grade point average as a real estate major.
The Leesburg, Ga., native is a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award that is presented annually by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. He was recently named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tallahassee Regional after hitting .474 (9-for-19) with five home runs and 13 RBIs in leading Florida State to its eighth Super Regional appearance in school history. Heading into last weekend’s regional play, Posey led the national in three offensive statistical categories including batting average (.468), on-base percentage (.572) and slugging percentage (.897).
In the ACC, Posey leads in eight categories while ranking in the top 10 in three others. He finished the regular season batting .479 in 30 league games as he led the Seminoles to their second straight Atlantic Division title. Posey is looking to become just the fourth student-athlete in ACC history to win baseball’s version of the triple crown as he currently leads in average (.468), home runs (24) and RBI (86). On the defensive end, Posey has a .982d field percentage with 58 starts behind the plate.
Beckham, a native of Atlanta, Ga., is a finalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA), the premier award for the top amateur player, and the Dick Howser Trophy. He was the unanimous pick for SEC Player of the Year by the league coaches and was named the SEC baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He ranks among the national leaders in several offensive categories. He is batting .397 with 24 home runs, 85 runs scored, 189 total bases, 65 RBI while fielding .961 in 279 total chances.
Beckham is the highest draft pick for the Bulldogs since 1987 when pitcher Derek Lilliquist went sixth overall to the Atlanta Braves.