Baseball: Academic awards announced by LSC
A total of 36 student-athletes were honored for their success in the classroom Friday when Lone Star Conference officials announced the league's annual baseball academic awards.
Southeastern Oklahoma first baseman Mason Parham was named LSC North Division Academic Player of the Year, and Abilene Christian pitcher Trey Watten picked up the same honor in the South Division to headline the teams. The duo joined 16 other players on the LSC All-Academic Teams, with 9 total players each in the North and South. Additionally, 18 players were named to the LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.20 grade point average and have reached sophomore status both athletically and academically. The Academic Player of Year award and All-Academic Team are selected from the list of academically qualified players, with the league's sports information directors voting on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement. All qualifying student-athletes not selected for the All-Academic Team are then named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Parham, a sophomore from Highland Park, Texas, garnered the North's top honor after hitting .313 with 60 hits and 41 runs batted in while starting all 57 games this season for the Savage Storm. Watten, a sophomore from Coppell, Texas, was also named the LSC South Division Player of the Year with a perfect 10-0 record on the mound and a .351 batting average at the plate.
Joining Parham on the North Division All-Academic Team were Central Oklahoma's Derec Norman and Tim Sullivan, Cameron's Bryan Nichols, Ryan Totte and Mark Armstrong, Southwestern Oklahoma's Gabe Winn, East Central's Tyler Pybas and fellow SOSU teammate Randall Clay.
On the South All-Academic Team along with Watten were ACU's Alec Sowards and Jordan Schmitt, West Texas A&M's A.J. Knight and Justin Graham, Eastern New Mexico's Clayton Young, Seth Clabaough and Derrick Kennedy and Angelo State's Shan Sullivan.
