Willey named to 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-America Baseball Second Team, Miller All-District
TOWSON, Md. - Salisbury University senior baseball pitcher Eric Willey was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Baseball Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), announced Wednesday. Willey was named to the second team for the College Division, comprised of Division II and III institutions.
Willey becomes the 16th SU student-athlete to garner CoSIDA Academic All-American honors since 2001. He is the third baseball player as Willey joins first-teamer Nick Pegelow (2005) and third-team selection Bobby Hamel (2001). SU men's soccer and softball hold the lead for the most Academic All-Americans in University history with four apiece.
The Cambridge, Md., native recently graduated from SU with a degree in Business Management and finished with a 3.69 grade point average. Willey had similar success on the field this spring as he posted a record of 10-3 with a 2.45 ERA. The right-hander threw two complete games, 91.2 innings, struck out a team-high 77 batters and limited opposing batters to a .237 batting average.
Willey 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. Recently, he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American second team and named the South Region Pitcher of the Year.
To become eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-America Baseball Teams one must first make Academic All-District first team. Willey was selected to the College Division - District 2 first team earlier this month. Willey is one of just four student-athletes from District 2 to garner All-America accolades.
Willey was joined on the Academic All-District Baseball Teams by Sea Gull sophomore outfielder Andrew Miller. The physical education major was selected to the second team. Miller led the second-ranked Sea Gulls in runs scored (67), doubles (13), hit by pitches (15) and stolen bases (28). Heading into next season, Miller will enter with a streak of 32 consecutive bases stolen since his freshman year, which is one of the longest current streaks in all NCAA baseball (any division).
To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic honors, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.
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