May 17, 2011
IRVING, Texas - Nine Baylor baseball student-athletes were named to the 2011 Academic All-Big 12 Conference Baseball Team, as announced by the league office Tuesday. The Bears placed seven players on the first team and two on the second team, and Baylor's Kolt Browder was one of two honorees with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
The Bears' academic all-conference selections give them three consecutive seasons with at least nine honorees. Baylor had a school-record 11 players honored in 2009 and followed that up with 10 selections a season ago.
Baylor baseball student-athletes have earned 89 first-team academic all-conference awards in the league's 15-year history, 15 more than any other school in the league. Nebraska (74) ranks second, followed by Oklahoma State (59), Kansas (52), Missouri (51), Kansas State (43), Oklahoma (43), Texas (41), Texas Tech (37) and Texas A&M (29).
Among Baylor's seven first-team selections was Browder, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, who joined Kansas State's Jason King as the only student-athletes on the teams with perfect 4.0 GPAs. Browder was also one of only two selections with a perfect GPA when he was named to the first team during his redshirt freshman season in 2010.
The six remaining Baylor student-athletes on the first team were sophomore pitcher Crayton Bare (finance), sophomore infielder Steve DalPorto (business), senior pitcher Jon Ringenberg (health science studies), senior outfielder Chris Slater (finance), junior pitcher Ross Speed (finance) and sophomore outfielder Logan Vick (business).
Additionally, senior shortstop Landis Ware (graphic design) and junior pitcher Logan Verrett (speech communication) were named to the second team.
Speed was named to the first team for a third consecutive season, while Browder, Ringenberg and Slater earned their second-consecutive first-team honors. Ware has been a first or second team selection in each of the last three seasons. It was the first Academic All-Big 12 selection for Bare, DalPorto, Verrett and Vick.
Slater, who officially graduated on Saturday, will be presented with his diploma from Baylor President Ken Starr prior to Thursday's game against Oklahoma. Browder, Vick, Slater and DalPorto will also be honored prior to the game for making Baylor the only program in the nation with four academic all-district honorees in the university division. Saturday's game against Oklahoma will be senior day, when Ware, Ringenberg, Slater and Speed will be recognized.
The 2011 Academic All-Big 12 teams consist of 62 student-athletes with 41 first-team honorees. First-team members have recorded GPAs of 3.20 or better, while second-team members have posted GPAs between 3.00 and 3.19. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or during the two previous semesters.
All position players must participate in 60 percent of their team's games. Pitchers are required to have at least 1.0 inning pitched per team game or participate in 20 percent of their team's total games. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Seniors with a minimum of two years participation who meet all criteria except participation percentage also are eligible.
Baylor returns to action with four consecutive home games to close out the regular season. The Bears host Dallas Baptist at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and take on No. 13 Oklahoma in a three-game series Thursday through Saturday at Baylor Ballpark.
