Cosenzo Earns Academic All-American Honors
The Outfielder earned a 3.95 GPA in Accounting.
AUSTIN, Texas – Senior outfielder Vin Cosenzo has been named First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Cosenzo has a 3.95 grade point average as he is majored in Accounting. This marks the first time he has been named an Academic All-American. Cosenzo is the first Spartan to earn Academic All-American since Preston Packrall earned the honors in 2014 and the first Tampa player to earn first team honors since Chris Rosenbaum in 2007.
A native of North Caldwell, New Jersey, he helped Tampa post a 41-10 overall record and helped the Spartans win the 2016 Sunshine State Conference title. The outfielder also earned second-team All-South Region honors after his successful season.
In 39 games during the season, he hit .420, as he hit 10 home runs, six doubles, and a triple. He would also drive in 41 runs and come around to score 35. He would also post a .739 slugging percentage to lead the team.
Senior infielder Christian Binger of Southwest Baptist University headlines the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Baseball team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Binger has been selected as the recipient of the Academic All-America® of the Year award for Division II baseball.
The Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2015-16 Division II Academic All-America® teams program.
A sports management major, Binger has a 4.00 G.P.A., he is now a two-time first team CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection after also earning first team honors a year ago.
A native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, he helped Southwest Baptist to a 22-28 record. The second baseman earned second team All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association honors as a senior after previously being named third team All-MIAA at outfielder in 2014.
Binger hit. 392 with 17 doubles, five home runs, two triples, and 38 RBI. He added 14 stolen bases and had a .504 on-base percentage and .577 slugging percentage. He ranked sixth in the MIAA in batting average, second in on-base percentage, tied for fifth in doubles, and ninth in walks with a school record 39.
He earned first team CoSIDA Academic All-America® accolades in 2015 after hitting a team-high .372 with 13 doubles, six home runs, 39 RBI, and nine stolen bases. He hit over .300 in all four seasons, and over .350 in each of his final three seasons.
Binger concluded his career holding the school career records for runs scored (160), doubles (48), walks (132), and on-base percentage (.491), along with ranking second in hits (226), fourth in RBI (136) and total bases (344), and sixth in batting average (.367), home runs (20), and slugging percentage (.559).
Nineteen of the 33 members of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II baseball teams have at least a 3.80 G.P.A., including five student-athletes who maintain a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. The 11 members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.82.
Binger is joined by four other repeat performers on the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II baseball teams. Blake Edwards of Columbus State University was named to the first team in 2016 after being named to the second team in 2015. Nate Olinger of Colorado School of Mines was a third team CoSIDA Academic All-America® a year ago and moved up to the first team this year. Liam Goodall of Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team in 2016 after being a College Division second team last year. Finally, Matthew Kaplanis of the University of Indianapolis was a first team selection last year and landed a spot on the third team this year.
Edwards, a senior infielder from Zebulon, Georgia, is a general business major with a 3.88 G.P.A. He helped Columbus State win their fifth Peach Belt Conference championship, and first since 2010. The Cougars were ranked fifth in Division II and ended the year with a 42-14 record after being eliminated in the Southeast Regional.
He earned first team All-PBC honors for the first time hitting a career-high .387 with 21 doubles, a triple, nine home runs, and 53 RBI. A standout in the field at third base, he made just five errors in 193 chances for a .974 fielding percentage. He was named to the ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Glove Team in 2014. Edwards ranks sixth in the country with 93 hits and also ranks among the national leaders in doubles per game and runs scored. He was in the top five in the PBC in hits, doubles, and total bases.
Edwards is fourth all-time in CSU history in doubles (52), fifth in runs (187) and seventh in hits (272).
Olinger, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.65 G.P.A., led Colorado School of Mines to a 29-15 record, a school record for wins, while playing both in the outfield and on the mound. He landed a spot on the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team as an outfielder after hitting .394 with 17 doubles, six home runs, and 40 RBI. He posted a 7-2 record, a school-record for wins, with a 3.59 ERA on the mound. In 47.2 innings, he struck out 39.
A senior from Arvada, Colorado, Olinger was named to the NCBWA All-South Central Region team for the third consecutive year, earning first team honors as a utility player. A year ago, he was a third team NCBWA All-American. He earned first team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors both at outfielder and pitcher for the third straight year, and all told is a seven-time All-RMAC selection. He was also named to the RMAC Gold Glove team earlier this year.
Olinger holds school all-time records in hits, doubles, and career ERA. His 17 doubles this season are an RMAC record.
Goodall was a key component on an Embry-Riddle team that is a provisional member of the Sunshine State Conference. The Eagles finished with a 28-22 record.
A civil engineering major with a 3.81 G.P.A., Goodall hails from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The outfielder finished with a team-leading .377 average, 17 doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 36 RBI, along with 16 stolen bases. He also led the team in hits (78), doubles, and total bases (105). He departs as the career record-holder in hits (294), at bats (869), and games played (233).
Kaplanis, a senior pitcher from Fort Wayne, Indiana, is an accounting major with a 3.97 G.P.A. He helped Indianapolis post a 38-21 record, reaching the Midwest Regional before being eliminated. He finished with a 10-1 record and a 3.06 ERA. In 94 innings, the right hander struck out 75 while allowing just 12 walks.
He earned first team All-Great Lakes Valley East Division honors for the second straight year, and is now a three-time All-GLVC selection. He is just the sixth Greyhound in program history to be named to three All-GLVC teams. Kaplanis was the 2015 Co-GLVC Pitcher of the Year. He was also recently named to the D2CCCA All-Midwest Region second team. He concluded his career with a 26-7 record, tied for second in career victories.
The rest of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team includes pitchers Guillaume Blanchette of Lubbock Christian University and Mercyhurst University's Colin McKee, catcher Alex Jones of Spring Hill College, infielders Austin Alonge of Mercyhurst and Jake Stern of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, outfielder Vin Cosenzo of the University of Tampa, and designated player Nicholas Lerick of St. Edward's (Texas) University.
The 11-member second team includes pitchers Tanner Bird of Franklin Pierce University and California Baptist University's Dylan Stowell, catcher Kyle Serrano of Colorado Mesa University, infielders Tyler Falk of Clarion University, Augustana (S.D.) University's Alex Fink, Rudy Navarro of California State University, East Bay, Fairmont State University's Nicholas Rush, and Kyle Schindler of Lynn University, outfielders Hunter Bigler of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Korbin Polston, and Quincy University's Ryan Snyder, and designated hitter Zach Barton of Southwestern Oklahoma State.
In addition to Kaplanis, the rest of the third team is comprised of pitcher Michael Maiocco of Flagler College, catcher Jeff Sneed of Newberry College, infielders Justin Brock of Franklin Pierce, Ryan Ihle of Columbus State, and Missouri University of Science and Technology's Nick Ulrich, outfielders Logan Augustine of Lincoln Memorial University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University's Thomas Bess, and Jesse Rall of Missouri Southern State University, and designated hitter Alex Levitan of Fairmont State University.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College (mfmaceachern@yhc.edu) (706) 379-5106
Academic All-America ® Vice Co-Chair for Publicity/Communications
Bob Shreve, Edinboro University (rshreve@edinboro.edu) (814) 732-1834
Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity
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2016 Academic All-America® |
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
P Guillaume Blanchette Lubbock Christian Sr. St-Constant, Quebec 3.78 Sports Management
P Colin McKee Mercyhurst Jr. Butler, Pa. 3.70 Biology
C Alex Jones Spring Hill Sr. Pensacola, Fla. 3.65 Business Management
INF Austin Alonge Mercyhurst Sr. Westfield, N.Y. 3.92 Sports Medicine
INF Christian Binger (1) Southwest Baptist Sr. Lee's Summit, Mo. 4.00 Sports Management
INF Blake Edwards (2) Columbus State Sr. Zebulon, Ga. 3.88 General Business
INF Jake Stern Pittsburgh-Johnstown Sr. New Enterprise, Pa. 3.88 Biochemistry
OF Vin Cosenzo Tampa Jr. North Caldwell, N.J. 3.94 Accounting
OF Liam Goodall (#) Embry-Riddle (Fla.) Sr. Nanaimo, B.C. 3.81 Civil Engineering
OF Nate Olinger (3) Colorado School of Mines Sr. Arvada, Colo. 3.65 Mechanical Engineering
DH Nicholas Lerick St. Edward's (Texas) Sr. San Antonio, Texas 3.86 Business Administration
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
P Tanner Bird Franklin Pierce Sr. Adams, Mass. 3.63 Marketing
P Dylan Stowell California Baptist Jr. Mission Viejo, Calif. 3.79 Business
C Kyle Serrano Colorado Mesa Jr. Grand Junction, Colo. 3.97 Business
INF Tyler Falk Clarion Jr. Fombell, Pa. 4.00 Finance
INF Alex Fink Augustana (S.D.) Sr. Springfield, Minn. 3.66 Physical Education
INF Rudy Navarro Cal State East Bay Sr. Corcoran, Calif. 3.61 Physics
INF Nicholas Rush Fairmont State Sr. Columbus, Ohio 4.00 Education
INF Kyle Schindler Lynn Sr. Land O' Lakes, Fla. 3.86 Biology
OF Hunter Bigler Indiana (Pa.) Sr. Washington, Pa. 3.91 Exercise Science
OF Korbin Polston SW Oklahoma State Sr. Midwest City, Okla. 3.89 Parks & Recreation
OF Ryan Snyder Quincy Sr. St. Louis, Mo. 3.51 Communication
DH Zach Barton SW Oklahoma State Sr. Omaha, Neb. 3.74 Accounting
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
P Matthew Kaplanis (1) Indianapolis Sr. Fort Wayne, Ind. 3.97 Accounting
P Michael Maiocco Flagler Jr. Flagler Beach, Fla. 4.00 Graphic Design
C Jeff Sneed Newberry Jr. Cumming, Ga. 3.90 Business Administration
INF Justin Brock Franklin Pierce Sr. Latham, N.Y. 3.49 Accounting
INF Ryan Ihle Columbus State Sr. Ferny Grove, Australia 3.49 Management
INF Nick Ulrich Missouri Science & Tech Sr. St. Louis, Mo. 3.72 Mechanical Engineering
OF Logan Augustine Lincoln Memorial So. Urbandale, Iowa 3.99 Pre-Medicine / Chemistry
OF Thomas Bess NW Oklahoma State Gr. Cherryville, N.C. 4.00 Adult Education
OF Jesse Rall Missouri Southern State Sr. Lincoln, Neb. 3.48 Pre-Med
DH Alex Levitan Fairmont State Sr. Charleston, W.Va. 3.83 Criminal Justice
Academic All-America® of the Year: Christian Binger, Southwest Baptist
(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II first team selection in 2015
(2) - CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II second team selection in 2015
(3) - CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II third team selection in 2015
(#) - CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division second team selection in 2015
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