May 10, 2007

Three Gorillas Earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Honors

     PITTSBURG -- Three members of the Pittsburg State University baseball team earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America today (May 10).
     Senior infielder Michael Campbell and senior outfielder Kevin Deao earned first-team All-District honors, while junior outfielder Jacob Boan received second-team honors.
    Pitt State’s first-team selections are now eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® team for baseball will be announced May 29.
    Campbell, a Valley Center, Kan., native, has a 3.88 GPA as a biology (pre-medicine) major. He started 38 of 44 games played for the Gorillas, batting .211 with two home runs and 23 RBIs. Campbell also scored 15 runs and finished the season with a .951 fielding percentage, primarily at second base. This is Campbell’s first appearance on an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District squad.
    Deao, a native of Omaha, Neb., has a 3.93 GPA as a nursing major. He started 50 games for the Gorillas, hitting .359 with 13 doubles, nine home runs and 42 RBIs, twice earning MIAA Hitter of the Week honors. Deao also scored 43 runs and finished the season with a .963 fielding percentage.
    Boan, an Overland Park, Kan., native, has a 3.93 GPA as an accounting/finance major. He started 40 of 47 games played, batting .264 with one home run and 16 RBIs. He also scored 29 runs and finished the season with a .975 fielding percentage.
    Student-athletes must meet four criteria to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors: 1) must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better, 2) must have at least two terms of attendance at the institution, 3) must be at least a sophomore in athletic eligibility, 4) must be a starter or key reserve in their respective sport.
    The All-District selection is determined by voting of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). District VII is comprised of NCAA Division II and Division III and NAIA institutions from the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
    Since January 2000, Pitt State has produced 38 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America student-athletes -- the highest total among all Division II institutions and the seventh-highest total among all colleges nationwide.