Jan. 8, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
As the Illinois State baseball team prepares for the 2007 season this spring, it has a new accomplishment to build on from the fall semester. During the Fall 2006 semester, the team achieved a new team grade-point average (GPA) record of 3.0, breaking the previous standard of 2.93 set in the Fall of 2002.
Setting the new record was a complete team effort, as over half of the squad recorded GPA's of 3.0 or above and 20 players on landed on the AFNI Honor Roll, also a new team record. In addition, senior Luke Baughman and freshman Ryan Court earned 4.0 GPA's for the term and six additional players added marks of 3.5 or above.
Head coach Jim Brownlee has always stressed the importance of academic with his players, and his current group has taken his words to heart.
"Our number one priority as a staff is to make sure that our players graduate and perform well in the classroom," said Brownlee. "By breaking the previous team GPA record, it shows that our players take their job in the classroom seriously. I have always believed that if players take the academic side of college seriously and perform well, those successes will carry over into strong performances on the playing field."
The Redbirds open the 2007 baseball campaign at the UTA Invitational, Feb. 16-18 in Arlington, Texas. ISU will face the host Texas-Arlington Mavericks on the 16th, followed by the New Mexico Lobos on the 17th and will conclude the three-day tournament against the preseason No. 17-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers on the 18th.
