The NCAA News - News and Features

June 15, 1998

GTE Academic All-America teams named in baseball, softball

Baseball

Three players with perfect grade-point averages head the 1998 GTE Academic All-America Baseball Team announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

One of those players, pitcher Jeremy Jackson of Mississippi State, posted a 10-2 regular-season record with one shutout and 87 strikeouts in 95 innings and helped lead the Bulldogs to a College World Series berth. Jackson was selected to the first team for the second straight year, as was Georgia Tech pitcher L. J. Yankosky.

Infielders Charley Carter of Baylor and Jeremy Schied of Southern Mississippi also were first-team selections who were perfect in the classroom. Carter was the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the university division.

That honor in the college division went to outfielder James Rinne of Illinois Wesleyan. Rinne, a junior, batted .447 this season with four home runs and 38 runs batted in and is already his school's all-time leader in hits.

The college division first team also includes two players from Johns Hopkins, pitcher Todd Flannery and outfielder John Christ.

The GTE Academic All-America Team is selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. Nominees must be a varsity starter or key reserve and must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.200 (4.000 scale).

Following is this year's team in baseball.

University division

First team

Pitchers -- Jeremy Jackson, Mississippi State, microbiology; L. J. Yankosky, Georgia Tech, industrial and systems engineering.

Catcher -- Josh Dimmick, Kansas, genetics.

Infielders -- Charley Carter, Baylor, finance; Jeff Pickler, Tennessee, marketing; Jeremy Schied, Southern Mississippi, criminal justice; Zach Sorensen, Wichita State, exercise science.

Outfielders -- Kevin Cantrelle, Southwest Louisiana, mass communications; Jason Hendricks, Arizona, finance; Jake Weber, North Carolina State, technology education.

Designated hitter -- William McLean, Campbell, trust management.

Second Team

Pitchers -- Marc Bluma, Wichita State, administration of justice; Matt Schuldt, Nebraska, secondary education.

Catcher -- Ben Bertrand, Oregon State, science.

Infielders -- Cecil Christwell, Coppin State, computer science; Joey Foxhall, College of Charleston, physics; Eddy Furniss, LSU, zoology; Griffin Moore, Missouri, finance and banking.

Outfielders -- Joe Gerber, Fresno State, psychology; Lance Shannon, Georgia, management; Jon Topolski, Baylor, marketing.

Designated hitter -- Pat Magness, Wichita State, undeclared.

Third Team

Pitchers -- Ryan Harber, Butler, secondary education; Van Johnson, Mississippi State, sports medicine.

Catcher -- Chris Dorsett, Rutgers, psychology/administration of justice.

Infielders -- Jason Benham, Liberty, history; Angelo Ciminiello, Providence, biology/science; Richard Lee, Mississippi State, banking and finance; Joey Pollock, Georgia Southern, biology.

Outfielders -- B. J. Barns, Duquesne, pharmacy; Ryan Fry, Missouri, history; Michael Lockwood, Ohio State, exercise science.

Designated hitter -- Jason Jennings, Baylor, sociology.

College division

First team

Pitchers -- David Bradley, Marietta, mathematics; Todd Flannery, Johns Hopkins, biology.

Catcher -- Michael Meeuwsen, Hope, accounting.

Infielders -- Jimmy Costa, Rose-Hulman, electrical engineering; Eric Heise, Ohio Wesleyan, economics management; Scott Heying, Incarnate Word, biology; Jim Wideikis, John Carroll, political science.

Outfielders -- John Christ, Johns Hopkins, mechanical engineering; David Franke, North Dakota State, mechanical engineering; Aaron Kramer, St. Norbert, business administration; James Rinne, Illinois Wesleyan, physics.

Designated hitter -- Brayden Whitney, Central Missouri State, business management.

Second Team

Pitchers -- David Ciesla, Arkansas Tech, biology/pre-medicine; Mark Dolan, Slippery Rock, sociology.

Catcher -- Brad Shorter, Pittsburg State, psychology.

Infielders -- Jason Darling, Central (Iowa), elementary education; Jay Grona, Tarleton State, agribusiness; Tom Lee Jr., Mississippi College, history (pre-law)/business; Pat Tobiasz, Wisconsin-Whitewater, biology/geography.

Outfielders -- Mark Drake, Pittsburg State, elementary education; Andy Reeb, St. Francis (Illinois), finance.

Designated hitter -- Dave Ceccanechio, College of New Jersey, law and justice.

Third Team

Pitchers -- Nathan Knuffman, Illinois-Wesleyan, economics; Brian Rudloff, Baldwin-Wallace, business administration.

Catcher -- Aaron Braund, Winona State, school and community health.

Infielders -- Matt Barcellona, Chapman, biology/chemistry; Pat Burke, King's (Pennsylvania), accounting; Tom Fagan, DePauw, economics; David Moore, Drew, chemistry.

Outfielders -- Craig Bonsall, Central Arkansas, accounting; Chris McAuley, Emory, business administration; Aaron Myers, York (Pennsylvania), accounting.

Designated hitter -- Greg Berchelmann, Amherst, computer science.

Softball

Two pitchers who helped their respective teams advance to the divisional championship series are featured members of the GTE Academic All-America Softball Team announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Arizona pitcher Nancy Evans, a first-team all-American who led her team to the championship game of the Women's College World Series, finished the season with a 36-2 record and a 0.98 earned run average with 255 strikeouts in 241 innings. She also had three no-hitters, 20 shutouts and batted .366 with seven home runs and 42 runs batted in. Evans was named the GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the university division.

College World Series participant Traci Conrad of Michigan also made the first team while earning all-America honors.

Two players from the college division had perfect grade-point averages, including catcher Julie Cobb of Central Missouri State and infielder Molly Carr of Indiana (Pennsylvania). Kelly Schade, a pitcher from Simpson, was named the college division's Team Member of the Year.

The GTE Academic All-America Team is selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. Nominees must be a varsity starter or key reserve and must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.200 (4.000 scale).

Following is this year's team in women's softball.

University division

First team

Pitchers -- Nancy Evans, Arizona, psychology; Sara Unrue, Butler, journalism.

Catcher -- Christy Burge, Southern Utah, computer information systems; Nikki Cockrell, Texas, sports management.

Infielders -- Traci Conrad, Michigan, sports management/communications; Yvette Healy, DePaul, communications; Isonette Polonius, East Carolina, business management.

Outfielders -- Amy Doyle, Ball State, secondary education and history; Emily Peters, Wichita State, health services; Jenny Schoen, Purdue, sociology.

Designated hitter -- Jodi Ramirez, early childhood education.

Second team

Pitchers -- Christine Engelhardt, Southeast Missouri State, elementary education; Lana Moran, Oklahoma, university studies.

Catcher -- Margaret Hollis, Michigan State, microbiology.

Infielders -- Heidi Geier, Creighton, journalism; Michelle Meadows, Virginia Tech, science of food, nutrition and exercise/pre-medicine; Jennifer Oermann, Southeast Missouri State, special education; Karen Stewart, DePaul, actuarial business.

Outfielders -- Carin Bouchard, Wisconsin, zoology; Jennifer Derouin, Fairfield, management; Kristin Sandler, Florida, physical therapy.

Designated hitter -- Paige England, Louisiana Tech, fitness and wellness management.

Third team

Pitchers -- Michelle Johnson, Virginia Tech, health and physical education; Krysta Pidstawski, Delaware, finance/economics.

Catcher -- Jenny Smith, Nebraska, human resources/advertising.

Infielders -- Tracey Drechsel, Austin Peay, business finance; Tiffany Howard, North Carolina-Charlotte, international business; Tammy Pytel, Northern Illinois, industrial engineering; Paula Workman, Texas Tech, dietetics.

Outfielders -- Tammy Mika, Michigan, biology; Laura Redding, Cal State Northridge, child development; Stephanie Vaglica, Mississippi, accounting.

Designated hitter -- Amber Hegland, Minnesota, kinesiology.

College division

First team

Pitchers -- Laura Hering, Wisconsin-Whitewater, sociology; Kelly Schade, Simpson, economics.

Catcher -- Julie Cobb, Central Missouri State, occupational safety and health.

Infielders -- Molly Carr, Indiana (Pennsylvania), education; Paige Krul, Rollins, Spanish; Tara Ringler, Ashland, elementary education; Andi Royster, Buena Vista, English.

Outfielders -- Tricia Hoffman, Misericordia, history and secondary education; Heather Parker, Mount Olive, recreation and leisure studies; Sarah Schmitz, North Dakota State, industrial engineering.

Designated hitter -- Margo McGowan, Ithaca, health and physical education.

Second team

Pitchers -- Shauna Koolhaas, Calvin, secondary education and Spanish; Andrea Scott, Oklahoma City, public relations.

Catcher -- Carrie McVicker, John Carroll, elementary education; Julie Backof, Western Maryland, biology; Stephanie Carew, Chapman, business administration; Jill Christopher, Clarke, elementary education; Michelle Lechner, St. Cloud State, applied psychology.

Outfielders -- Tonia Call, St. Thomas (Minnesota), management and health; Emily Harrelson, Gardner-Webb, business and physical education; Becky Mancuso, Augustana (South Dakota), biology.

Designated hitter -- Liz Bartels, Rollins, psychology.

Third team

Pitchers -- Julianne Coleman, Florida Southern, accounting; Leslie Lance, Cortland State, elementary education.

Catcher -- Denise Haselwood, Long Island-C.W. Post, physical education.

Infielders -- Anita DeFeo, College of New Jersey, chemistry education; Traci Hyman, Lenoir-Rhyne, nursing; Jennifer Jimerson, Missouri Southern State, physical education; Cheryl Wah, Ithaca, sport management.

Outfielders -- Melanie Harriff, Calvin, biology; Jenn Hull, Gannon, computer applications/accounting/business administration; Jessica Thomas, Regis (Colorado), accounting.

Designated hitter -- Amy Shortall, Indiana (Pennsylvania), nursing.