Fister, Susdorf Named To The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Baseball Team
Susdorf and Fister are now both eligible to be named to the Academic All-America Team announced later this month.
May 11, 2006
Fresno, Calif. -
2006 Baseball Academic All-District Team
Pitcher Doug Fister and outfielder Steve Susdorf have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team for District 8, the Western Region of the nation. The two players are part of eleven that were recognized for their excellence on the field and in the classroom.
Fister, a senior Liberal Studies major from Merced, Calif. has anchored the Bulldog pitching staff on Friday nights, ranking in the top five in conference strikeouts for the entire season while compiling a 6-5 record pitching against the opponents' top pitcher most weeks. Fister was one of two pitchers to make the All-District Team.
Joining him was sophomore outfielder Steve Susdorf. A Civil Engineering major with a 3.71 GPA, Susdorf has played in nearly every game this season for the Bulldogs, hitting .313 and adding considerable power, hitting 11 doubles and 10 home runs which ties him for fifth in the WAC in that category.
Both players have previously been named Academic All-WAC and will qualify for that award again this year. In addition, both were honored at last Monday's Kiwanis Torch of Excellence dinner, where Fister and Susdorf were recognized for their 2005 academic accomplishments, including being Fresno State Scholar-Athletes and WAC Scholar-Athletes. The players were also both on the 2005 Dean's List for earning a GPA over 3.5 for the year.
To be eligible for the Academic All-District Team, a student-athletes must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
By winning this award, both Fister and Susdorf are both now eligible to be named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Team. The baseball program has had great success in this program before, particularly in 1994 when pitcher Tommy Minor was named the male Academic All-American of the Year, given to the top student-athlete in the nation.
