COSIDA FULL RELEASE
CORPUS CHRISTI – Texas A&M – Corpus Christi senior catcher Russell Vaughan has been named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Division I First Team, it was announced Friday.
"On the field Russell made some remarkable strides," head coach Scott Malone said. "He went from hitting below .200 at the bottom of our order to a top of the order presence in our lineup. But most importantly, he was a leader in the dugout vocally for the team. He was also a leader off the field, leading by example in the classroom. He is a perfect example of the type of player you want as an ambassador of your program."
Vaughan becomes the fourth Islander in any sport named to the first team, becoming the first to do so since two baseball players, Trey Hearne and Jamie Landin, were both named First Team All-America in 2005. The catcher becomes the eighth player in school history to pick up All-America laurels and only the third member of the Islanders baseball team. Overall, Vaughan is the first Islander to earn this award in three years, with softball player Hannah Schwarz earning third team honors in 2011.
The Mesa, Ariz., native was the only player from the Southland Conference to be named to any of the All-America teams, and he was only one of three players from Texas to be honored, with Texas pitcher John Curtiss joining him on the first team and Baylor pitcher Doug Ashby being named to the second team.
The senior leader has been a presence both on and off the field, maintaining a 4.0 GPA as a health sciences major, while also earning Third Team All-Conference honors in the Southland for his performance on the field this year. He was one of the most improved players in the conference, raising his average 137 points at the plate. For his all-around effort, Vaughan has also been named one of the 16 finalists for the 2014 TD Ameritrade Fan's Choice Award, which fans can vote for on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Vaughan led the team in on-base percentage (.456) and ranked third in the league in that category, using his patience at the plate to draw 33 walks on the year. He especially turned it on during Southland play, as he ranked 8th in conference games in batting average (.374), 1st in on-base percentage (.488) and 5th in slugging percentage (.535) during regular-season Southland contests.
This year, Vaughan tallied 13 extra base hits, nine doubles, three triples and a home run to go along with 25 runs driven in, 21 of which came against Southland opponents. In 2013, he hit .181 at the dish with only two extra base hits and nine RBIs.
Prior to his time at the Island University, Vaughan was also recognized for his academic achievements while at South Mountain College, as he earned the NJCAA Pinnacle Award for having a 4.0 GPA.
Be sure to stay up-to-date with Vaughan and the other Islanders on Twitter (@IslandersBSB) during the offseason, including coverage of the 2014 MLB Draft running from June 5-7.
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
P John Curtiss Texas Jr. Southlake, Texas 3.85 English /History
P Trey Lambert Liberty Sr. Tazewell, Va. 3.94 Health Promotion: clinical
C Russell Vaughan Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sr. Mesa, Ariz. 4.00 Health Sciences
IF Alex Close Liberty Jr. Hoover, Ala. 3.84 Business Administration/Finance
IF Michael Massi Mercer Sr. Powder Springs, Ga. 3.67 Accounting
IF Caleb Palensky Omaha Sr. Papillion, Neb. 3.94 Exercise Science
IF Kevin Swick (3) Southern California Sr. La Canada, Calif. 3.83 Business Administration
OF Tim Colwell (1) (#) North Dakota State Sr. Shoreview, Minn. 4.00 Zoology
OF Jeff Keller (1) Dartmouth Sr. Atherton, Calif. 3.95 Economics
OF Derrick Workman (1) Mercer Sr. Acworth, Ga. 4.00 Communications
DH Derek Gibson Southeast Missouri Sr. Bonne Terre, Mo. 3.77 Pre-dental
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
P Doug Ashby Baylor Sr. McKinney, Texas 4.00 Engineering
P Gage Smith Florida State Sr. Tallahassee, FL 3.79 Business Management
C Grayson Greiner South Carolina Jr. Columbia, S.C. 3.47 Accounting
IF Danny Diekroeger Stanford Sr. Woodside, Calif. 3.80 Computer Science
IF Connor Panas Canisius Jr. Toronto, Ontario 3.80 Physical Education/Health Education
IF Scott Schaub Jacksonville Sr. Ocala, Fla. 3.45 Exercise Science
IF Tyler Vaughn (1) Troy Sr. Murphy, N.C. 3.92 Chemistry
OF Collin Forgey Saint Joseph's Gr. San Diego, Calif. 3.65 General Studies
OF Collin Slaybaugh (1) Washington State Sr. Puyallup, Wash. 4.00 Kinesiology
OF Evan Stephens Wake Forest Sr. Lexington, Ky. 3.83 Finance
DH Kyle Convissar Maryland Sr. Severna Park, Md. 3.99 Finance
THIRD TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
P Rohn Pierce Canisius Jr. Lockport, N.Y. 3.51 Management
P Ian Tompkins Western Kentucky Jr. Louisville, Ky. 3.78 Accounting
C Zach Fisher (1)(&) Towson Gr. Baltimore, Md. 3.94 Information Technology
IF Jason Blum Southeast Missouri Jr. Ste. Genevieve, Mo. 4.00 Finance
IF Sam Haggerty New Mexico So. Denver, Colo. 3.78 Finance
IF Kevin Nutter William & Mary Sr. Vienna, Va. 3.94 Accounting
IF Taylor Sparks UC Irvine Jr. Long Beach, Calif. 3.63 Sociology
OF Austin Cousino Kentucky Jr. Dublin, Ohio 3.32 Community & Leadership
Development
OF Patrick Riewer North Dakota Sr. Wadena, Minn. 4.00 Chemical Engineering
OF DJ Stewart Florida State So. Yulee, Fla. 3.48 Sport Management
DH Matt Parrish Campbell So. Angier, N.C. 3.87 Mathematics
Academic All-America® of the Year: Tim Colwell, North Dakota State
(1) - Capital One Academic All-America® Division I First Team in 2013
(2) - Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Second Team in 2013
(3) - Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Third Team in 2013
(#) - Capital One Academic All-America® Division I First Team in 2012
(&) - Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Third Team in 2012
