May 8, 2008
WACO, Texas -- Two Baylor baseball student-athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI honors, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday. Sophomore outfielder Aaron Miller was a first-team selection, while sophomore third baseman Shaver Hansen earned second-team honors. Both were first-time honorees, and both are business majors.
At least one Baylor baseball student-athlete has earned academic all-district honors every year since 1998. In that time, 17 Bears have been so honored 24 times. Jason Jennings (1998, 1999), Jon Topolski (1998, 1999), Ross Bennett (2002, 2003), Michael Griffin (2004, 2005, 2006), Zach Dillon (2005, 2006) and Jeff Mandel (2006, 2007) all earned academic all-district honors multiple times.
In order to be eligible for academic all-district honors, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale and participate in at least 50 percent of his team's games. Freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible. By virtue of earning first-team honors, Miller is eligible for Academic All-America honors; that team will be announced May 27.
Miller, a product of Channelview [Texas] High school, leads Baylor and is tied for eighth in the Big 12 Conference with 10 home runs this season. He is the first Baylor player with at least 10 home runs in a season since 2004 and would be the first sophomore to lead the Bears in home runs since 2001 when Chris Durbin paced the team with 14 round-trippers. Miller also leads Baylor and is tied for third in the Big 12 with 17 doubles.
Hansen, who prepped at Fruita Monument High School in Grand Junction, Colo., leads Baylor in batting average (.330), runs (41), hits (63), triples (5), walks (28) and on base percentage (.420). He also is second on the team in doubles (16), total bases (104) and slugging percentage (.545) and ranks fourth on the team in RBI (36). Hansen currently ranks eighth in the Big 12 in hits, third in triples, tied for fifth in doubles and 19th in batting average.
Baylor currently is in an eight-day break for spring semester final exams. The Bears return to action Tuesday, May 13, hosting Texas State for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Baylor Ballpark.
