July 21, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
To say that Ryan Anetsberger has played well in his first two seasons in an Illinois State baseball uniform would be an understatement. The Wheaton, Ill., native, who will be a junior in the fall, has started all 106 games of his career for the Redbirds en route to a .327 career batting average. Those types of numbers on the field, combined with strong academic work in the classroom, have resulted in Anetsberger being named the Fairchild Memorial Scholarship recipient for the 2006-07 school year.
The Fairchild Memorial Award is a scholarship named for former Illinois State University president Raymond W. Fairchild, who led the university from 1933 to 1954. The award is presented to a junior baseball player each school year.
Redbird head coach Jim Brownlee respects the way that his junior infielder has handled himself in his first two seasons at ISU.
"On the field, Ryan has undoubtedly been one of our better performers the last two seasons," said Brownlee. "However, he is also a top performer in the classroom, which is hard to do when you are playing so much baseball in the spring. I think Ryan is a perfect example of what a student-athlete should be, and I am sure the Fairchild family is proud to have Ryan associated with this honor."
A 2006 All-Missouri Valley Conference second team selection at third base, Anetsberger led the Redbirds in hits (67), triples (3), total bases (88) and at-bats (205) and was second on the team with a .327 batting average. His 6-for-6 day on April 9 against then No. 23 Creighton, in which he scored three runs, helped the Redbirds to a victory and propelled Anetsberger to a .379 average in Valley contests, which ranked fifth in the conference in that category.
Succeeding both on the field and in the classroom is a constant battle for Anetsberger, however he embraces the challenge and knows his hard work has paid off.
"Doing well in school and also performing on the field can be difficult, especially during the season when we are traveling a lot and playing up to five games a week" said Anetsberger. "But, I kind of approach the situation as a challenge and work hard to make sure I succeed in both areas. I think this scholarship validates that hard work for me and I am honored to receive this award."
The Fairchild Memorial Scholarship is one of 14 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes funded by private donors. Though not one of the eight fully-funded endowed scholarships at ISU, the Fairchild Memorial Scholarship provides significant support for the recipient.
For more information about supporting this, or other Illinois State University endowments for student-athletes, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
