Thursday, May 06, 2010

MACON, Ga. – The College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA) and ESPN the Magazine announced its academic all-district honors Thursday with six Atlantic Sun baseball student-athletes earning the honor with five named to the first-team.

UNF’s John Atteo and Preston Hale earned first-team honors in District 3 along with USC Upstate’s Tyler Cook and Campbell’s Josh Holsky. ETSU’s Paul Hoilman earned first-team all-district accolades in District 3. Mercer’s Billy Burns ranked as the Atlantic Sun’s only second-team selection, earning the honor in District 3. All players named to the first-team all-district automatically become candidates for the Academic All-America, which will be announced May 25.

Atlantic Sun baseball and softball combined for five first-team selections in District 3 more than any other conference in the district except for the Atlantic Coast Conference, who also boasted five first-team honorees. With a total of five first-team choices, A-Sun baseball boasts more than the Big Ten, Pacific 10, Big East and Southeastern Conference. The ACC also collected five first-teamers and only the Big 12 of the six major conferences outdrew the Atlantic Sun.

Atteo, a criminal justice major, owns a 4.19 ERA on the season with 11 appearances and eight starts with a record of 4-1 for UNF. The Lake Worth, Fla. native owns a 3.81 grade point average (GPA). Fellow Osprey Preston Hale, boasts a 3.71 GPA in criminal justice and also holds some solid on field numbers as well. Hale, a senior from Lakeland, Fla., leads UNF with a .389 batting average while also slugging eight home runs, in addition to 46 RBIs.

Campbell’s Holskey owns a .356 batting average with four home runs and 27 RBIs. The Roanoke, Va. native sits as one of only four sophomores to be named to first-team in District 3.
 
ETSU’s Hoilman ranks as one of four student-athletes in District 6 to hold a GPA over 3.90. The junior boasts a 3.93 average as a math major. Hoilman also sits as one of the top offensive players in the country ranking in the top five nationally in batting average (5th, .457), runs (4th, 63), hits (5th, 80), home runs (6th, 17) and runs batted in (5th, 63.0), while leading the nation in total bases (154) and slugging percentage (.880).

The Spartans’ Cook holds a .317 batting average with three home runs and 27 RBIs. The Bloomington, Ill. native also owns a 3.82 GPA in business management.

Mercer’s Billy Burns ranked as the only second-team selection from the Atlantic Sun holding a 3.83 GPA as a business major. The Marietta, Ga. native owns a .376 batting average and holds 27 steals, ranking him second in the A-Sun. 

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.