Three SAC Baseball Players Named to Academic All-District Team

BRISTOL, Conn. -- Three baseball players from the South Atlantic Conference have been named to the 2007 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Baseball Team announced College officials Thursday.

Tusculum College's Kevin Hammons and Dustin Morrow and Carson-Newman's Brandon Burchfield were honored for their academic and athletic achievements.

Hammons, a senior left-handed pitcher from Jonesborough, Tenn., was named to the Academic All-District First Team, while Morrow, a junior first baseman from Lexington, Ky., was tabbed to the Second Team.

Kevin Hammons

Brandon Burchfield

Dustin Morrow

Burchfield has been named a first team CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honoree in consecutive seasons.

Being named to the First Team, Hammons and Burchfield now advance to the Academic All-America® ballot, which will be announced at the end of this month.

Hammons has posted a 3.55 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Physical Education. The David Crockett High School graduate was named the 2007 South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year. Hammons earned All-Conference First Team recognition while posting an impressive 9-1 record, including 6-0 in conference outings. His 2.27 earned run average is best in the league and 41st in NCAA Division II.

Morrow has posted a 3.91 GPA while majoring in Secondary Math Education at Tusculum. Morrow, a 2007 All-SAC Second Team selection, is hitting .322 with eight doubles, a triple and two home runs to go along with 25 runs batted in. The Dunbar High School graduate accounted for the longest hitting streak this season as he hit safely in 21 consecutive games, sparking Tusculum's incredible 23-game winning streak.

Tusculum (48-12) is ranked No. 12 in NCAA Division II and is awaiting word of a possible at-large berth to next week's NCAA Tournament. The announcement of the 48-team field will be announced by the NCAA this Sunday. The Pioneers recorded its seventh consecutive winning season and third straight 40-win campaign. TC has also won three South Atlantic Conference Championships in a row and will be looking to make its third NCAA postseason appearance in the last five years.

Burchfield, a senior from Maryville, has earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a business administration major. He is a member of Alpha Chi honors society and was named the South Atlantic Conference's Scholar Athlete in baseball for 2007. He batted .295 this season and helped the Eagles claim the 2007 South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship.

Burchfield and his Eagle teammates will begin play in the NCAA South Regional tournament on May 17. The team will learn their destination and their first round opponent on Sunday, May 13.

Members of the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Team are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, which include all colleges and universities from Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Ohio and Michigan which comprise District IV.

District III
College Division
FIRST TEAM
Pitcher Ben Pearson NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE Sr. Culpeper, Va. 3.74 Computer Information Systems
Pitcher Nick Carris NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Jr. Orlando, Fla. 3.82 Biology
Catcher Chris Rosenbaum TAMPA, UNIVERSITY OF Gr. Castleton, N.Y. 3.90, 3.78 (grad) MBA, Finance (undergrad degree earned)
Infield Daniel Ziccardy SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY Sr. Harrisonburg, Va. 4.00 Political Science/Spanish
Infield David Miller WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY Sr. Oak Hill, Va. 3.80 business administration
Infield Bennett Mayfield AUGUSTA STATE UNIVERSITY Sr. Cumming, Ga. 3.67 Marketing
Infield David Cooper MOUNT OLIVE COLLEGE Jr. Edmonton, Alberta 3.32 Biology
Infield Brandon Custer EMORY UNIVERSITY Sr. Overland Park, Kan. 3.43 Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology
Outfield Bryan Shaughnessy GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY Sr. Florissant, Mo. 3.52 Management
Outfield Sean VanGuilder SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY Sr. Tallahassee, Fla. 3.48 MBA
Outfield James Madden WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY Jr. Dallas, Texas 3.78 Spanish & History
Designated Hitter Josh Carter MOUNT OLIVE COLLEGE Sr. Goldsboro, N.C. 3.70 Exercise Science

District IV
College Division
FIRST TEAM
Pitcher Ryan Decker MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY Sr. Dover, Pa. 3.98 History & Criminal Justice
Pitcher Kevin Hammons TUSCULUM COLLEGE Sr. Jonesborough, Tenn. 3.61 Physical Education
Catcher Nick McIntosh OLIVET COLLEGE Sr. Petoskey, Mich. 3.74 Psychology/Criminal Justice
Infield Casey Jirsa ASHLAND UNIVERSITY Sr. Tallmadge, OH 3.87 Accounting
Infield Sheldon Steiner WOOSTER, THE COLLEGE OF Sr. Dalton, Ohio 3.86 Biology
Infield Brandon Mauck OTTERBEIN COLLEGE Jr. Reynoldsburg, Ohio 3.99 Accounting
Infield Kyle Sherman OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Sr. Plain City, Ohio 3.62 History
Infield Eric Moore CENTRE COLLEGE Sr. Bowling Green, Ky. 3.39 History
Outfield Brandon Burchfield CARSON-NEWMAN COLLEGE Sr. Maryville, Tennessee 4.0 Business Administration
Outfield Andrew Shaver LEE UNIVERSITY Sr. Harrison, TN 3.75 Business Administration
Outfield Richard Hurd RHODES COLLEGE Jr. Marietta, GA 3.86 Spanish
Designated Hitter Zack Helm MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY Sr. Centerville, Ohio 3.93 Communication Studies

SECOND TEAM
Pitcher James Clear DENISON UNIVERSITY Jr. Hamilton, Ohio 3.76 Biomechanics
Pitcher Jason Decker MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY So. Dover, Pa. 4.00 Criminal Justice & Intercultural Studies
Catcher Chris Martin OTTERBEIN COLLEGE Sr. Worthington, Ohio 3.24 Sports Management
Infield Mark Foster CHRISTIAN BROTHERS UNIVERSITY Jr. Cordova, Tenn. 3.60 Mechanical Engineering
Infield Dustin Morrow TUSCULUM COLLEGE Jr. Lexington, Ky. 3.91 Secondary Math Education
Infield Dan Skirka GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY Sr. Union City, Mich. 3.83 Social Studies
Outfield Justin Held DENISON UNIVERSITY So. Hudson, Ohio 3.88 Economics
Outfield Cody Kidd BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE So. Wellington, Ohio 3.72 Biology/ Pre-Med
Outfield Matt Van Beek HOPE COLLEGE Sr. Hudsonville MI 3.74 Biology
Outfield Mike Morosi KALAMAZOO COLLEGE Sr. Essexville, Mich. 3.91 Economics
Designated Hitter Jeffrey Williams CENTRE COLLEGE So. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.53 Pre-med student majoring in Philosophy