2011 Capital One Academic All-America Baseball Teams (University & College Divisions) - PDF
TOWSON, Md. – Senior catcher Matt Rice of Western Kentucky University and
junior third baseman Bryan Lippincott of Concordia University, St. Paul lead the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® Baseball Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Rice and Lippincott have been chosen as the winners of the Academic All-America® of the Year
award in the University and College Divisions, respectively.
A mechanical engineering major with a 4.00 G.P.A.,
Rice was a second team Capital One Academic All-America® selection as a junior and earned third team honors as a sophomore.
As a senior, he is batting a team high .352 with 44 runs scored, 14 doubles, nine home runs and 56 runs batted in. He also has an impressive .993 fielding percentage while leading the Hilltoppers to a 32-22 record and a fourth place finish in the Sun Belt Conference regular season standings.
A native of Johnson City, Tenn., Rice earned first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2010. With 308 base hits in his college career, he holds the Western Kentucky record for base hits in a career. He also owns the school record with 215 career runs batted in. As a sophomore, Rice set a school record with a 31-game hitting streak.
As a junior, he batted .369 with ten homers and 65 RBI’s. In his sophomore season, he helped Western Kentucky post a 42-20 record and earn a berth in the NCAA Regionals. He is the recipient of the Charles R. Martin, H.H. Cherry, College Heights Foundation and national/international scholarships.
A finance major with a 4.00 G.P.A.,
Lippincott ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders with a
.434 batting average. Although the Golden Bears had 18 games cancelled due to weather problems, Lippincott scored 38 runs in 34 games with 17 doubles, six home runs and 39 runs batted in. A preseason All-American, he set a school record with a 28-game hitting streak. Overall, he hit safely in 31 of 34 games while leading the Golden Bears to an 18-16 record.
One of the semi-finalists for the Tino Martinez Award as the top player in Division II, the Des Moines, Iowa native had a .706 slugging percentage. While stealing ten bases in ten attempts, Lippincott was named as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week twice. A first team All-Region selection, he led the NSIC in batting in 2011.
A .406 hitter in his college career, he was named to the NSIC All-Academic team twice.
Capital One University Division Academic All-America® Team
The Capital One Academic All-America® University Division first team has three student-athletes
with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. The eleven members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.89.
Rice is joined on the
Capital One Academic All-America® University Division first team by
senior first baseman Paul Hoilman of East Tennessee State. Hoilman is the only repeat first team selection.
Junior pitcher Danny Hultzen of fifth-ranked Virginia and
Baylor senior outfielder Chris Slater were second team selections who moved up to the first team this year.
Senior outfielder Brandon Eckerle of Michigan State, a third team honoree last year, was also named to the first team.
South Carolina junior pitcher Michael Roth, senior third baseman Matt Leeds of the College of Charleston,
Canisius junior third baseman Drew Pettit and
Gardner-Webb junior first baseman Dusty Quattlebaum were also named to the University Division first team, along with
junior outfielder James Ramsey of Florida State and
Southern Mississippi senior designated hitter Marc Bourgeois.
The 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year,
Hoilman is a mathematics major with a minor in business and a 3.95 G.P.A. The Atlantic Sun career leader with 70 home runs, he has led East Tennessee State to a 36-19 record this season. A three-time All-American selection, the Johnson City, Tenn. native is batting .324 with 57 runs scored, 22 doubles, 22 home runs and 50 runs batted in. Honored as the Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year, he holds school records for career hits (307), runs scored (243), homers (70) and runs batted in (242).
A History major with a 3.37 G.P.A.,
Hultzen was a first team All-American in 2010 and has been named as the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year the last two years in a row. The school record holder with a 29-5 career record, he has led fifth-ranked Virginia to a 45-9 record this season. With 131 strikeouts in 90.1 innings of work, he is second nationally in strikeouts. A native of Bethesda, Md., Hultzen has a 9-3 record with a 1.49 E.R.A. this season. He is also batting .323 for the Cavaliers.
A senior finance major with a 3.98 G.P.A.,
Slater has led Baylor to a 29-24 record. He is batting .279 for the Bears with 23 runs scored, nine doubles, two home runs and 21 runs batted in. As a senior, he has had two “walk-off” hits this season. A versatile outfielder who has started all three positions, the Plano, Texas native was named as the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week in March.
Eckerle, who recently became Michigan State’s career leader with 254 base hits, is a general business administration and pre-law major with a 3.98 G.P.A. The leading hitter for the Spartans with a .386 batting average, he has led Michigan State to a 34-19 record and a share of the Big Ten Conference regular season championship. The second-leading hitter in the Big Ten, Eckerle has started 160 consecutive games in centerfield. A native of Durand, Mich., he has scored 51 runs with ten doubles and 19 runs batted in. He also leads the team with 21 stolen bases.
A member of South Carolina’s national championship team in 2010,
Roth is an international business major with a 3.89 G.P.A. With a 10-3 record and a 1.27 E.R.A., he is the Southeastern Conference leader in both categories. In the College World Series last year, Roth pitched a three-hitter to eliminate Clemson. In 98.2 innings of work this season, he has walked only 25 hitters and has 87 strikeouts. A native of Greer, S.C., Roth has captained the number one-ranked Gamecocks to a 44-12 record and the SEC regular season title.
An accounting major with minors in economics and finance and a 3.93 G.P.A.,
Leeds started 55 games at third base for the College of Charleston. A .347 hitter, he leads the Cougars with 18 home runs and 75 runs batted in. Honored as the Southern Conference Player of the Year in 2010, he earned third team All-America honors from the ABCA. In his career, Leeds has 35 homers and 168 RBI’s. A native of Boca Raton, Fla., Leeds has led the Cougars to a 36-20 record and the fifth seed at the Southern Conference Tournament.
Pettit, the starting third baseman for Canisius, is an economics major with a 4.00 G.P.A. The team’s second-leading hitter with a .344 batting average, he has helped the Golden Griffins post a 25-30 record and earn the number four seed for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament. Pettit, the 10th-leading hitter in the MAAC, also ranks fifth in the MAAC with 66 base hits. A native of Fonthill, Ontario, Canada, Pettit has scored 32 runs and has 38 runs batted in.
A sports management major with a 4.00 G.P.A.,
Quattlebaum has helped Gardner-Webb compile a 30-21-1 record. Honored as the Big South Conference Player of the Week twice, he is batting .321 with 23 doubles, five home runs and 43 runs batted in. The Bulldogs’ starting first baseman, the Boiling Springs, N.C. native was named as the National Hitter of the Week by the NCBWA after a series against St. John’s. The Big South leader in doubles, he has been ranked among the national leaders all season.
Ramsey, who is batting .349 for the 12th-ranked Seminoles, is a finance major with a minor in Religion and a 3.87 G.P.A. A member of the Seminoles’ 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference championship team that went to the College World Series, he is one of the top hitters in the ACC this year. Named to the 2010 ACC All-Academic team, he had a 24-game hitting streak this year. In 55 games, Ramsey has scored 51 runs with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs and 54 RBI’s. A native of Alpharetta, Ga., Ramsey has helped Florida State compile a 40-15 record and the Atlantic Division title.
One of two Canadian natives on the Capital One Academic All-America® University Division first team,
Bourgeois is a construction engineering major with a 3.82 G.P.A. The third-leading hitter in Conference USA, he is batting .352 for Southern Mississippi with 43 runs scored, 10 doubles, 7 home runs and 35 runs batted in. Named as the Conference-USA Hitter of the Week in April, he has led the Golden Eagles to a 38-15 record and a share of the conference’s regular season title. A product of Granby, Quebec, Canada, Bourgeois was named to the Conference-USA All-Academic Team.
Capital One College Division Academic All-America® Team
Four of the eleven players on the Capital One College Division Baseball first team have perfect 4.00 G.P.A.’s. They have an average G.P.A. of 3.89.
Senior outfielder Chris Stallone of Scranton is the only repeat selection on the Academic All-America® College Division first team.
Senior second baseman Taylor Sibia of Pittsburg State was named to the third team as a junior.
Seniors Kevin Brashears of Shenandoah and
Justin Smith of Rochester Institute of Technology join Stallone as outfielders on the Academic All-America® College Division first team.
Seniors Kolten Hoffman of Gannon and
Andrew Patterson of Grove City join Sibala and Lippincott as infielders on the first team.
Junior pitchers Carter Capps of Mount Olive and
Elias Tuma (UC San Diego) round out the first team, along with
Washburn senior catcher Andy Petz and
Transylvania senior designated hitter Ben Kuebbing.
Stallone, a finance major with a 3.95 G.P.A., earned first team All-Landmark Conference honors three years in a row. He finished his career at Scranton with a .398 batting average, 204 base hits and 85 stolen bases. A third team Academic All-America® third team selection as a sophomore, he led the Royals to a 24-18 record in 2011 while batting .384. In 42 games, Stallone scored 47 runs and stole 22 bases in 25 attempts. A native of South Plainfield, N.J., he is a member of two academic honor societies.
A business administration and kinesiology major with a 3.62 G.P.A.,
Brashears was a first team ABCA All-America selection as a junior after leading Shenandoah to back-to-back berths in the NCAA Division III national tournament in Wisconsin. A three-time All-USA South first team selection, the Hagerstown, Md. native has led the Hornets to a 37-7 record in 2011 by hitting .384 with 53 runs scored, 13 doubles, five home runs and 45 runs batted in. The Most Valuable Player of the USA South Conference Tournament in 2010, Brashears is an outstanding centerfielder for the Hornets, who finished the season as South regional runners-up. A member of Beta Gamma Sigma, he owns the school record for base hits in a season.
Smith, who finished his career as Rochester Institute of Technology’s all-time leader with 63 stolen bases, is a biomedical sciences major with a 3.90 G.P.A. As a senior, he batted .393 with 21 stolen bases as he earned first team All-Empire Eight honors for the second year in a row. A three-year starter in centerfield, he had a .343 career batting average. A native of Livonia, N.Y.,Smith was honored as the 2011 RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar.
One of four members of the Academic All-America® first team with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A.,
Sibala batted .328 at Pittsburg State in 2011. A mechanical engineering major, he earned All-MIAA honors as a junior and senior. While leading the Gorillas to a 20-30 record, Sibala scored 38 runs and had a league-leading five triples. A three-year starter at second base, the Overland Park, Kan. native finished his career with a .314 batting average and 122 runs scored.
A mathematics major with a 4.00 G.P.A.,
Hoffman started all 38 games at Gannon in 2011. One of Gannon’s career leader in base hits (154) and runs batted in (99), he batted .293 as a senior with 27 RBI’s. While leading Gannon to a 15-23 record, the West Middlesex, Pa. native owned a .987 fielding percentage. Hoffman, a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete, was named as an honorable mention All-Atlantic region selection.
A three-year starter at second base at Grove City,
Patterson has a 3.96 G.P.A. with a major in molecular biology and a minor in psychology. One of the Wolverines’ co-captains, he batted .348 in 26 games as a senior with a .417 on-base percentage. A two-time All-Presidents Athletic Conference selection, the Akron, Ohio native is a member of the Beta Beta Beta biology honorary society who has been accepted into medical school at Ohio State University.
Petz is a physics major with a 4.00 G.P.A. who batted .307 at Washburn in 2011. The team leader with 42 runs batted in, he was a second team All-MIAA catcher. He also scored 29 runs and hit 13 doubles with three home runs. A product of Lawrence, Kan., Petz was a two-year starter for the Ichabods who was named as an MIAA Scholar-Athlete.
An All-Heartland Conference selection at Transylvania,
Kuebbing is a business-finance and economics major with a 3.86 G.P.A. As a senior, he batted .453, the second-highest single season batting average in school history. Kuebbing, who also pitched and played in the outfield, scored 27 runs with six home runs and 33 runs batted in. A native of Burlington, Kentucky, he was the Rara Avis Award winner for outstanding scholarship in Academics,
Capps and Tuma, the two pitchers on the Academic All-America® College Division first team, have led their teams to success in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
A junior environmental science major with a 3.58 G.P.A.,
Capps has led Mount Olive to a 45-8 record and the NCAA Southeast regional championship. He led the Trojans to the regional title and a berth in the NCAA Division II championship tournament by earning the Most Outstanding Player award at the regional. Named as the Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year, Capps was also named as the Division II pre-season National Pitcher of the Year. In 2011, he has compiled a 14-0 record with one save and a 1.37 E.R.A. for the Trojans. In 89 innings, he has walked only 16 batters with 124 strikeouts. Capps, who has a career record of 24-0, has thrown three shutouts this year. A native of Kinston, N.C., he was the MVP of the Carolinas Conference Tournament.
Tuma is a junior cognitive science major with a minor in music who carries a 3.93 G.P.A. He has been the relief ace for sixth-ranked UC San Diego, pitching in 29 games and compiling a 6-0 record with seven saves and a 1.23 E.R.A. In 44 innings, he had 13 walks with 31 strikeouts. A native of Fremont, Cal., Tuma helped the Tritons compile a 42-15 record and earn the top seed at NCAA West regional tournament. He has also helped the Tritons win three straight California Collegiate Athletic Association championships.
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More on the Capital One Academic All-America®
Program
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit
http://cosida.com/Awards/allamerica.aspx.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact:
Dan O’Connell, Academic All-America ® Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications
Towson University
doconnell@towson.edu
(410) 704-3102
Jeff Schwartz
Academic All-America ® Coordinator of Publicity
North Dakota State University
Jeff.Schwartz@ndsu.edu
(701) 231-8332