Willey named CAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year

YORK, Pa. - Salisbury University senior baseball pitcher Eric Willey was selected as the 2009 Capital Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year announced by the conference on Wednesday. The selection was made by the conference athletic directors and sports information directors.

Willey becomes the first SU baseball player to win the CAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. He joins former Sea Gull soccer players Michael Giuffrida (1999) and Dan Meehan (2004) who are previous male recipients from SU. This is the second straight year a SU student-athlete was selected for this honor as Sue Ackermann took home CAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors last season. This is the seventh overall CAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for SU.

Willey, a recent graduate of SU with a degree in Business Management, finished his academic career with a 3.69 grade point average. The Cambridge, Md., native has garnered several other impressive awards this spring for his accomplishments on the field and in the classroom. He was selected as the SU Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and inducted into the prestigious Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athletic Honor Society-Zeta Society. Willey was named to the prestigious Academic All-American second team and also took home Academic All-District honors as he landed on the first team in the College Division for District 2. He was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American second team and named the South Region Pitcher of the Year.

The right-hander helped No. 11 Salisbury (38-8) capture its fourth straight CAC championship as the Sea Gulls hosted the NCAA Division III South Regional as SU made its 10th straight NCAA tournament appearance, 15th overall. He posted a 10-3 record with a 2.45 ERA in '09 as he threw two complete games, pitched 91.2 innings, struck out a team-high 77 batters and limited opposing batters to a .237 batting average.

Willey was a four-year letterwinner for the Sea Gulls as he compiled a career record of 24-6 in 64 appearances. He threw 10 complete games, 240 innings pitched and 226 strikeouts and even closed out some games to record seven career saves.

Willey earned numerous accolades throughout his four years as he is a two-time American Baseball Coaches Association All-American (2008,'09), D3basball.com All-American ('08) and CAC Co-Player of the Year in '08. Willey and the rest of the SU baseball team volunteered their time helping with the Badges for Baseball program and were mentors at Glen Avenue Elementary School.

To be eligible for the CAC award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, demonstrate athletic success and be a major contributor to his program.

The 2009 CAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award went to St. Mary's (Md.) College student-athlete Emily Smithson a standout on the Seahawk field hockey team.

SU recipients of the CAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2009: Eric Willey (Baseball)
2008: Sue Ackermann (Women's Lacrosse)
2005: Kim Rementer (Softball)
2004: Dan Meehan (Men's Soccer)
2003: Amy Campion (Women's Basketball)
2000: Gina Dean (Field Hockey)
1999: Michael Giuffrida (Men's Soccer)