May 7, 2009

Towson, Md. - In the CoSIDA ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Baseball and Softball teams announced today, Shorter College baseball outfielder Jake Broome has been named to the District 3 College Division First Team, while softball pitcher Becca Thomas has been named to the District 3 College Division Second Team. These are the first two Shorter College athletes that have received this recognition from their respective sport.

Broome, a junior from Lindale, Ga., was second in batting average this season for the Hawks, finishing with a .397, with 56 hits, four doubles, three home runs, and 23 RBIs. Last week, he was named to the Southern States Athletic Conference's All-Academic team, and was also named Shorter's Champion of Character award recipient.

Broome is the only NAIA representative on the District 3 First Team list, placing among athletes from NCAA Div. I, II and III. He currently has a 3.88 GPA and is an Accounting/CPA major at Shorter.

Thomas, a senior from Montgomery, Ala., is a early childhood education major with a 4.0 GPA, and helped lead the Lady Hawks softball team last week to their second straight SSAC tournament title. Heading into next weekend's NAIA National Championship, Thomas sits at 17-7 on the season, with a 1.72 ERA in 163 innings pitched.

Thomas is the only NAIA representative on the District 3 list, placing among athletes from NCAA Div. I, II and III. Last week, she was named to the Southern States Athletic Conference's All-Conference and All-Academic teams, and was also named Shorter's Champion of Character award recipient.

The two will now move on to the ballot for possible selection on the prestigious Academic All-America team. It is one of the only awards of its kind in the nation that awards both on-the-field excellence and in-the-classroom performance in a single award.

To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Additionally, nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at a specific position, and must have completed one full calendar year at the current institution and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.

The voting period for the national All-American ballot begins next week.

To view the complete baseball list, click here.

To view the complete softball list, click here.