King, Pierce Named Second Team Academic All-District
5/7/2009 8:17:00 PM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? A pair of Georgia Southern Baseball seniors were honored for their academic achievement. Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) and Jonathan King (Athens, TN/McMinn County/Young Harris) were named ESPN the Magazine Second Team Academic All-District, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
To be eligible, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, been enrolled in the institution one academic year and been a starter or important reserve. District 3 covers Division I institutions in the states of: Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Members of CoSIDA voted on the teams for their respective district.
Pierce, who is currently on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the nation's best shortstop, was a Third Team Academic All-District pick last year. He owns a .341 batting average, scoring 31 runs and driving in 32. He has recorded 11 doubles, two home runs while defensively owning a .977 fielding percentage and playing a role in 39 of the team's 52 double plays.
Pierce has played in 215 career games, including a streak of 185 consecutive starts that came to an end in March. He owns a 3.80 GPA and will graduate magna cum laude this weekend.
King earned a spot on the Second Team in his first year of eligibility on the ballot. He hit the first six doubles of his career this year, and the first home run of his Georgia Southern career during the nine-run come-from-behind win in game one against Charleston.
Overall King owns a .257 batting average with 31 runs scored, 18 RBI and a .433 on-base percentage. He ranks 47th nationally in walks per game (team-leading 30), starting in 33 of his 38 games played. King will also graduate this weekend with a 3.73 GPA at Georgia Southern, majoring in Business Administration.
The Eagles return to SoCon action Saturday (May 9), a three-game series at Samford. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 2 p.m. Eastern start.
