2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Baseball Teams release dates:
College Division Teams: PDF | doc
NCAA Division III Teams: PDF | doc
NCAA Division II Teams: Thurs., June 1
NCAA Division I Teams: Fri., June 2
Academic All-America Program Index Page
Conner Combs of East Texas Baptist Tops CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division III Baseball Teams
Conner Combs
East Texas Baptist
AUSTIN, Texas – First baseman Conner Combs of East Texas Baptist University headlines the 2017 Academic All-America® Division III Baseball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Combs repeats as the winner of the CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America® of the Year award for baseball. The 2016 winner of the award, Combs is the first person to win the CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America® of the Year award in baseball twice since its creation in 2011-12. He is the first repeat winner in baseball overall since Nebraska’s Jeff Leise won the University Division Academic All-America® of the Year award in 2002 and 2003.
The CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2016-17 Division III Academic All-America® teams program.
Combs is a two-time first team Academic All-America® selection, also earning first team accolades in 2016. A graduate student at East Texas Baptist this year, he recently earned his master’s degree in business administration with a 4.0 G.P.A. In May 2016, he earned his bachelor’s degree in business with a 3.97 G.P.A.
A first baseman for the Tigers, Combs was recently named the American Southwest Conference (ASC) Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season. A native of Southlake, Texas, he compiled a .400 batting average this year with 54 runs and 45 RBI. Combs registered 18 stolen bases with 10 home runs in his senior campaign. He ranked among the top-25 in Division III in total bases (ninth), runs (10th), hits (16th) and home runs (21st) at the conclusion of the Tigers’ 2017 season.
Combs was a second team American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America selection in 2016 and 2017. He earned third team All-America recognition from D3baseball.com in both 2016 and 2017. He was a first team All-West Region selection by both the ABCA and D3baseball.com for the second-consecutive season. Combs also received the inaugural HeroSports D3 Hero of the Year award.
There are 18 individuals among the 35 honorees on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® baseball team that have a 3.90 or better grade-point average, with four earning a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. in the classroom. The 11 members of the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division III baseball first team maintain an average G.P.A of 3.88.
This year’s CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division III baseball team features eight individuals who have earned multiple CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors in their careers. This year’s CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division III baseball first team features four individuals, including Combs, who have previously been named to the Academic All-America® team. There are four repeat honorees on the second team.
Senior pitcher Kyle Monk of Emory is on the first team unit for the second-consecutive year. Monk is a quantitative social science in economics major from Cortlandt Manor, New York, with a 3.97 G.P.A. Monk’s 34 career saves led all active Division III pitchers at the conclusion of Emory’s 2017 season and is fifth all-time in Division III. He is Emory’s career record-holder in saves, appearances, games finished and combined shutouts. Monk posted an 8-2 record in 2017 with five saves, tallying 59 strikeouts in 52 innings.
First team selection Michael Schimpf of Centenary College (La.) is a repeat CoSIDA Academic All-America® honoree. He was a second team selection in 2016. The senior outfielder from Shreveport, Louisiana, is a French and history double major with a 3.93 G.P.A. Schimpf earned second team All-America recognition from D3baseball.com and first team All-West Region honors from the website this season. He registered a .405 (60-for-148) batting average this year, with 48 RBI and 54 runs scored. He departs the Centenary program second in team history with 166 career runs.
Senior Connor Tom of Gettysburg is on the first team this year at outfielder following a third team selection at designated hitter in the 2016 season. Tom is a biology major from Reinholds, Pennsylvania, with a 3.85 G.P.A. and was named the Centennial Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Tom had a strong senior season, batting .358 (62-for-173) with 15 doubles, four triples and three home runs and was named honorable mention all-conference. He amassed 94 total bases this season, tying him for third in school history.
Second team honoree Ben Buerkle of Saint Mary’s (Minn.) picked up his third career CoSIDA Academic All-America® honor. Buerkle was also a third team selection in 2015 and 2016. The business management and finance double major from Roseville, Minnesota, has a 3.78 G.P.A. He is a four-time ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region selection and a three-time D3baseball.com All-Region honoree. Buerkle led the Cardinals with a .405 (53-for-153) batting average this year. He also led or shared the team lead in runs (39), hits (53), doubles (13), total bases (92), slugging percentage (.702) and walks (31).
Senior John Drago of MIT is on the second team for the second-consecutive year. Drago, a second baseman for the Engineers, is a mechanical engineering major from Peoria, Arizona, with a 3.92 G.P.A. He hit for a .306 (45-for-147) batting average this season with 25 runs scored and 21 RBI.
Drago is joined on the Academic All-America® team by MIT teammate David Hesslink. Hesslink, a senior, is on the second team this year, following third team recognition in 2016. The pitcher is a mechanical engineering major from San Diego, California, with a 3.92 G.P.A. He is MIT’s career leader in wins with 24 victories in his four seasons, including five wins this season.
Senior Bob Barnett of Widener is on the Academic All-America® second team this year following a third team selection in 2016. Barnett is a civil engineering major from Glenolden, Pennsylvania, with a 3.99 G.P.A. An outfielder for the Pride, Barnett hit for a .290 (40-for-138) batting average this season with 24 runs scored and 23 RBI. He earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors as a junior in 2016.
Other members of the CoSIDA Academic All-America® baseball first team include pitcher Caleb Norton of Otterbein; catcher Justin Teague of SUNY Cortland; infielders Taylor Black from St. Joseph’s (Maine), Zac Edwards of Lebanon Valley and Tanner Nishioka of Pomona-Pitzer; outfielder Kent Curran of Union (N.Y.); and designated hitter Phil Papaioannou from Denison.
Second team infielders Spencer Badia of Baldwin Wallace and Blake Fleischman of Wisconsin-Whitewater each hold a 4.0 G.P.A. They are joined on the second team by pitcher Jimi Keating of Spalding; catcher Tom LaBriola from Salisbury; infielder Ben Jacobson of Coe; outfielder Carter Amundsen of Augustana (Ill..); and designated hitter Daniel Williams of Texas-Tyler.
Texas Lutheran outfielder Riley Schaefer, a third team honoree, holds a 4.0 G.P.A. Joining Schaefer on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division III baseball third team are pitchers Riley Groves of Washington & Jefferson, Kyle Olliges from Spalding and Speros Varinos of Tufts; catcher Grant Henning of Coe; infielders Daniel Ammirati of Belhaven, Austin Filiere of MIT; Pete Grasso of Salisbury and Jared Love from Chapman; outfielders Jimmy Carrington of MSOE and Dakota Skinner of Keuka; and designated hitters Jake Loew of Shenandoah and Bryan Stopar from Otterbein.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Schwartz, North Dakota State University
Academic All-America® Co-Director for Publicity/Communications
Jeff.Schwartz@ndsu.edu
(701) 231-8332
Brett Marhanka, Wheaton College
Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity
Brett.Marhanka@wheaton.edu
(630) 752-5747