Melillo Named to Academic All-District Team
ELON, N.C. -- Elon senior catcher Mike Melillo was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Second Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Melillo becomes the program's first all-district pick since outfielder Chris Dove in 2008.
The Annandale, N.J. native currently sports a 3.35 GPA while majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance. Following his junior season, Melillo earned Academic All-Southern Conference accolades and has collected Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll distinction each of the past three years.
Melillo, a preseason third-team All-American, currently leads the Phoenix with 48 runs scored and four triples. He is hitting .320 with 11 doubles, eight home runs, 47 RBI and 10 stolen bases while helping Elon to a 31-18 overall record. He also earned one SoCon Player of the Week honor this year. Melillo is also one home run away from equaling the program's all-time homer record of 37. He also ranks among the career top-10 in runs scored and RBI.
Leeds Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III First Team
CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston sophomore 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage) was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III First Team on Thursday. The honor is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) whose schools are in the region.
By being named to the first team, Leeds advances to the national Academic All-America ballot.
In order to be nominated for this honor, a student-athlete must be a starter or significant reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.30 grade point average in both undergraduate and graduate work. The student-athlete must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and completed at least one full academic year at the same school.
Leeds, an economics major with a 3.89 GPA, leads the Cougars with 17 home runs and 63 RBI. The sophomore is batting .341 on the season with a team-best .751 slugging percentage. His 17 round-trippers is tops in the Southern Conference and places him 6th in the nation, while his 63 RBI ranks 5th in the country.
Charleston joins fellow SoCon members Appalachian State and Samford with a student-athlete on the First Team, while Elon and Western Carolina each had a student-athlete honored on the Second Team.
Charleston is 33-12 overall, 17-7 in the SoCon and returns to action this weekend as it hosts local rival The Citadel in a key SoCon clash at Patriots Point. The three-game series begins Friday night at 6:00 p.m.
WCU Baseball’s Tyler Kirkpatrick Named to Academic All-District Team
Senior boasts a 3.70 GPA and a .370 batting average
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina senior infielder Tyler Kirkpatrick was today named to second team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District III as selected and announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Kirkpatrick is the third Catamount student-athlete to garner all-district academic honors from the organization this year, joining men’s and women’s basketball seniors Jake Robinson and Kristen Feemster.
Kirkpatrick was among four players from the Southern Conference to earn the honor. He was joined on the second team by Elon catcher Mike Melillo, with infielders Matt Leeds from Charleston and Appalachian State’s David Towernicky garnering first team honors.
A senior from Charlotte, N.C., Kirkpatrick boasts a 3.70 cumulative grade point average while majoring in finance. The announcement about his selection to the all-district team came just one day after being tabbed as the SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week, a plaudit that recognizes both academic and athletic successes.
On the diamond, Kirkpatrick currently leads the Catamounts with a .370 batting average and is making a late-season push for SoCon Player of the Year considerations. He ranks inside the top 15 in eight statistical categories including tied for sixth with a team-high 12 home runs. Kirkpatrick also leads the squad with 13 doubles and boasts a seasonal .667 slugging percentage.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games at the position listed on the nomination form. In baseball, pitchers must have at least 10.0 innings pitched. Athletes who have not participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests are not eligible.
There are eight districts nationally divided into both a college and university division with each section selecting both a first and second team.
Western Carolina (26-16-1, 9-11-1 SoCon) will host the Furman Paladins (13-29, 5-16 SoCon) for a three-game Southern Conference series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium beginning Friday afternoon at 1:00 pm. The squads will take Saturday off for graduation ceremonies on both respective campuses before resuming the series at 3:00 pm on both Sunday and Monday afternoons in Cullowhee.
Towarnicky Named Academic All-District
ELON, N.C. ? For the second-straight year, Appalachian State University baseball first baseman David Towarnicky (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN The Magazine District 3 Academic All-District team, CoSIDA announced late Thursday evening.
By virtue of being one of 12 all-district honorees in District 3, Towarnicky moves on to balloting for Academic All-America recognition. Of the 96 first-team honorees in eight districts across the nation, Towarnicky is one of only seven with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
The senior is a double-major in banking and finance and risk insurance management with a minor in international business. Last week, he was honored by ASU's Walker College of Business as the college's top overall student and top banking and finance major, as well as earning an academic achievement award from the Wall Street Journal. A member of ASU's Chancellor's List, Dean's List, Walker College of Business honors program and Beta Gamma Sigma honor society, Towarnicky was also named the recipient of the Southern Conference's Camp Champs graduate scholarship earlier this spring.
On the field, Towarnicky is a .305 career hitter with 39 doubles, 18 home runs and 137 RBI (good for seventh in ASU history) as a four-year starter at first base. He has made 179 career starts, including a current string of 105-straight, and sports a .992 career fielding percentage with only 14 errors in 1,682 chances. He is hitting .308 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 33 RBI this season.
For his efforts on and off the field, Towarnicky is one of 10 nationwide finalists for college baseball's prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award (fans can vote for Towarnicky at www.seniorclassaward.com or www.GoASU.com daily through May 31).
He earned third-team Academic All-America recognition on top of the all-district honors a year ago. The 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America teams will be announced on May 25.