LOCAL SPORTS ROUNDUP: ERAU baseball team earns academic award

The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) recognized its yearly Team Academic Excellence Award winners and Randy Stegall's Embry-Riddle Eagles were one of just 55 NCAA II squads honored by the ABCA. To qualify, teams must have had a minimum GPA of 3.0 during the 2019-20 academic year.

ERAU finished the 2019-20 academic calendar with a 3.189 cumulative GPA, including an impressive 3.50 GPA during the Covid-challenged spring semester. The Eagles put a department-leading 27 student-athletes on the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, and boasted 14 players with 4.0 GPAs during the spring.

In total, 288 collegiate baseball programs were honored by the ABCA with 55 coming from the NCAA II ranks. ERAU was one of just four SSC squads to earn the distinction by the ABCA.

Embry-Riddle was 16-7 overall in the 2020 season before the campaign's premature ending due to the pandemic.

Magazine names 12 from B-CU to MEAC preseason team

Bethune-Cookman placed 12 student-athletes — including three first-selections — on Phil Steele's 2020 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason team.

Tight end Taron Mallard, lineman Jamal Savage and punt returner Tyrese Spain garnered the first-team berths.

Named to the second team: OL Nicholas Roos; OL Cedrick Jackson; DL Gerome Howard; LB Rashon McNeil; and LB Untareo Johnson.

Named to the third team: DL Uriah Gilbert; DB Omari Hill-Robinson; DB Henry Miller II; and LS Kendall Batt.

On July 16, the Council of Presidents and Chancellors of the MEAC announced the league suspending all sports competition, championship and non-championship segments, for the 2020 fall season, as a result of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Bethune-Cookman posted a 7-4 record in 2019, concluding a decade that saw nine winning seasons, five MEAC championships, three HBCU National Championships and three FCS playoff appearances. The Wildcats' 80 victories in the decade were the most among HBCU FCS teams.

Stetson baseball places 6 on ASUN All-Decade Team

As part of its summer program, the ASUN Conference selected six former Stetson baseball standouts for the All-Decade team.

That group of players includes pitcher Logan Gilbert (2016-18), infielder Mark Jones (2009-12), first baseman/catcher Patrick Mazeika (2013-15), relief pitcher Robbie Powell (2009-12), pitcher/first baseman Kurt Schluter (2010-14) and pitcher/designated hitter Brooks Wilson (2015-18).

Gilbert was named Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2017-18) and is the only student-athlete in ASUN history with this distinction. He appeared on two All-Conference First Teams, two All-Academic Teams and his four Pitcher of the Week honors are a Stetson program record. He was a consensus All-American in 2018, leading the nation in strikeouts. He was a first round draft pick (14th overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2018.

A First Team All-Conference selection in 2011 and 2012, Jones was also a member of the 2009 All-Freshmen Team. He was also chosen to the 2011 ASUN All-Tournament Team.

Mazeika's first season as a Hatter in 2013 ended with him earning the ASUN Freshman of the Year honor. He finished his career with three All-Conference Team honors and two All-Academic Team selections. He was selected by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 2015 draft.

Powell tied the ASUN record for saves in a season with 18 in 2012, finishing fifth in the nation. He was a two-time ASUN Pitcher of the Week and a 2012 First Team All-ASUN. He ranks third in career saves in ASUN history and is third in career appearances at Stetson. He was a third team Collegiate Baseball All-American and an ABCA first team All-Region selection in 2012. He led, or shared, the team lead for saves each of his four years. Was selected by the Los Angeles Angels 32nd round of the 2012 draft.

Schluter earned the Pitcher of the Year honor and a nod to the All-Conference First Team in 2011. He was also a member of the 2012 All-Academic Team and captured a Pitcher of the Week award in his career. He was selected by Boston in the 39th round of the 2012 draft.

The 2018 Player of the Year, Wilson also earned a unanimous first team All-Conference selection that season. In 2015, he was named to both the All-Conference second team and All-Freshmen team. He was the MVP of the 2018 NCAA DeLand Regional and was the John Olerud Award winner that year as the best two-way player in the nation. He was a consensus All-American in 2018. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 24th round of the 2017 draft and by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.

3 Hatters on ASUN Softball All-Decade Team

Former Stetson University softball standouts Chrissy Morello, Meredith Owen and Jessie TenBroeck have been named to the ASUN Conference's All-Decade Team, the league announced.

The trio were among the 37 student-athletes honored by the ASUN for their accomplishments from 2011-2020.

Morello earned three ASUN all-conference selections and an ASUN all-freshman team honor during her four seasons with the Hatters (2011-14). She was also a two-time ASUN All-Academic team selection, an ASUN all-tournament team performer, an ASUN Player of the Week pick, and a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.

A four-year starter in center field, Morello batted .311 with 206 hits, 125 runs, and 81 stolen bases. She played in 203 career games and ranked among the program all-time leaders in runs, hits, walks, total bases, and steals.

Owen, meanwhile, earned four all-conference selections during her four-year tenure (2011-14), two as a hitter two as a pitcher, including a first team honor in 2014. The two-way star also earned three ASUN All-Academic team honors, three ASUN all-tournament team picks, six ASUN Pitcher of the Week awards, and an ASUN Championship MVP honor.

As a pitcher, Owen went 71-44 in her career with a 1.94 ERA. She also hit .304 with 33 home runs and 112 RBI. She played in 184 career games and ranked among the program all-time leaders in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games, shutouts, home runs, RBI, total bases, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Owen became the first All-American in program history with her NFCA third team selection in 2014. She also earned a USA Softball National Player of the Week award and NFCA first team all-region honors during her senior season.

Another four-year starter, TenBroeck was a two-time ASUN first team all-conference performer and an ASUN all-freshman team selection during her career with the Hatters (2014-17). She also earned a spot on two ASUN all-tournament teams and garnered one ASUN Player of the Week award.

TenBroeck, who played both right field and second base, still holds the school and conference all-time record with 142 stolen bases. In addition, her 157 career runs scored still stands as a Stetson record, and her 214 hits ranks third in school history. She also ranks among the Stetson all-time leaders in batting (.330), total bases (264), and walks (90).

Morello, Owen, and TenBroeck were a part of the Hatters' 2014 ASUN Championship run and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, 6-4 vs. UCF, in the 2014 NCAA Gainesville Regional.

Former USC Upstate player and current Stetson assistant coach Shellie Robinson was also selected to the All-Decade Team.

ERAU men's tennis lands 11 on All-Academic roster

For the ninth straight year, the Embry-Riddle men's tennis team was recognized as an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday. The 2020 squad posted a team cumulative GPA of 3.792 for the 2019-20 academic year, including a 3.908 in the spring semester. Embry-Riddle was one of six Sunshine State Conference programs to have both men's and women's tennis teams recognized by the ITA.

In addition, 11 individuals were named ITA Scholar-Athletes. In the spring semester, all 12 Eagles on the roster had at least a 3.6 grade point average and nine student-athletes posted perfect 4.0 GPAs. Five Eagles held the distinction of of getting all As throughout the academic year, including Fernando Alonso (Freshman, Aerospace Engineering), Pol Fontdegloria (Freshman, Aerospace Engineering), Tim Loerwink (Senior, Business Administration), Juan Ortiz Couder (Senior, MS Software Engineering), and Maciej Sobolewski (Sophomore, Aerospace Engineering).

The Eagles wrapped up an abbreviated season with a 9-1 overall record. They were are perfect 7-0 at home and 2-0 in Sunshine State Conference play, when the season ended due to COVID-19.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All varsity letter winners were factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year.

To earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must be a varsity letter winner with at least a 3.5 grade point average for the current academic year, and be enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.

ERAU women's tennis earns All-Academic honors

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced its All-Academic Team for 2019-20 and for the sixth straight year, the Embry-Riddle women's tennis made the list. The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All varsity letter winners were factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year.

The Embry-Riddle women followed a 3.833 GPA performance in the fall with a 3.62 team GPA in the spring to close out the year with a 3.730 cumulative team GPA.

In addition to the team recognition, the Blue and Gold also placed seven student-athletes on the ITA Scholar-Athlete roster. All nine members of the Eagles' 2019-20 roster had a 3.3 or better GPA in the spring, with six posting perfect 4.0s. Sabrina Ehrenfort (Junior, Human Factors Psychology), Alexis Marshall (Senior, Human Factors Psychology), and Julia (Freshman, Aerospace Physiology) held the distinction of carrying a 4.0 throughout the academic year.

Embry-Riddle was one of six Sunshine State Conference programs to have both men's and women's tennis teams recognized by the ITA.

To earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must be a varsity letter winner with at least a 3.5 grade point average for the current academic year, and be enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.

Ex-Stetson golf star Sam Ryder named to ASUN All-Decade squad

Few players have had the individual impact on a program the way Sam Ryder impacted men's golf at Stetson University.

Ryder, who played at Stetson from 2008-12, was named to the ASUN All-Decade team. He is one of just two Hatter golfers who have won an individual ASUN Championship title, doing so in 2012 with a three-under-par 213. He also added a top-10 finish to his resume in 2011 with a tie for sixth.

Ryder is one-of-three Stetson players to be a three-time All-ASUN selection and was the first since Dray Summers in 1993. In 2012, he qualified for the NCAA Regional carding a 225.

He owns the three best individual single-season scoring averages in Stetson history, having posted averages of 71.84 during his senior season, 71.93 during his sophomore season and 72.4 during his junior year. He also owns the top three spots in the Stetson record book for birdies in a season with 101 as a senior, 93 as a junior and 92 as a sophomore.

Over his Stetson career, Ryder played in 40 collegiate events, posting an overall scoring average of 72.72. He earned seven tournament victories and had 22 top 10 finishes in 40 total events.

Since the end of his collegiate playing days, Ryder has been a successful professional golfer, having earned more than $2.7 million while earning seven top 10 finishes at the top level of professional golf. His best finish this year was a tie for third at the Puerto Rican Open in February.

Earlier this month he finished tied for seventh at the Workday Charity Open. He currently ranks 80th on the PGA Tour with a 70.29 scoring average this season. He ranks 83rd in the FedEx Cup Standings heading into the Barracuda Championship this weekend in Truckee, CA.

During his career, Ryder has earned tournament victories on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada (2015) and on the Korn Ferry Tour (2017).

Stetson tennis teams honored for academic excellence

Both Stetson tennis teams have once again been honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for academic excellence, earning a spot on the organization's academic excellence list.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any member program that has a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). The men finished the year with a 3.69 team grade-point average while the women closed the academic year with a 3.61 team gpa.

In addition to receiving team honors, a combined total of 15 Hatters earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades.

Honorees for the men's team include Linus Bergevi, Colter DeCoste, Tim Gennes, Clement Hamel, Alexandre Hillhouse, Josh Laka, Christian Mills, Fabian Penzkofer and Sven Thiergard.

Danel Ashirova, Megan Horwitz, Jodan King, Katie kubicz, Lilli Widenmann and Laia Pasini were honored for the women.

ITA Scholar-Athletes must have at least a 3.50 grade-point average during the 2018-19 academic year and been enrolled at least two semesters at their respective institutions.

Since 1998, over 100 Stetson tennis student-athletes have been named as ITA Scholar-Athletes.