Bulldog Baseball Places SEC-Best 19 On SEC Spring Honor Roll

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State placed a league-best 19 baseball players on the 2012 Southeastern Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll announced Monday by the league office in Birmingham. It ties for the fourth-most baseball academic honorees in a season for Mississippi State. Over the past four years, 66 Diamond Dogs have represented Mississippi State on the conference’s academic honor roll, including a school-best 23 in 2008.

Mississippi State’s overall academic all-conference listing includes 81 student-athletes representing eight men’s and women’s spring sports, the fourth-most academic selections for spring sports in the league.

The list of Diamond Dog honorees is led by outfielder Brent Brownlee of Oxford, Miss., who earned his fourth academic all-conference designation. Pitcher Nick Routt of Silver Spring, Md., was included on the academic all-conference team for the third year.

Two-time recipients of the SEC academic award include infielder Sam Frost (Hoover, Ala.), pitcher Chad Girodo (Hartselle, Ala.), pitcher Kendall Graveman (Alexander City, Ala.), pitcher Luis Pollorena (Laredo, Texas), pitcher Chris Stratton (Tupelo, Miss.,) and pitcher C.C. Watson (Heflin, Ala.). Stratton, a consensus All-American and first-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants, was previously named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American second team.

Also receiving academic all-conference accolades are: catcher Nick Ammirati (Sparta, N.,J.), outfielder C.T. Bradford (Pace, Fla.), infielder Adam Frazier (Bishop, Ga.), infielder Brayden Jones (Madison, Miss.), pitcher Evan Mitchell (Marietta, Ga.), pitcher Ross Mitchell (Smyrna, Tenn.), infielder Daryl Norris (Fairhope, Ala.), infielder Trey Porter (Hurley, Miss.), outfielder Hunter Renfroe (Crystal Springs, Miss.), catcher Mitch Slauter (Olathe, Kans.) and outfielder Taylor Stark (Flowood, Miss.).

Among qualifications for the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have compiled a grade point average of at least 3.00 for the preceding academic year or have a cumulative career GPA of 3.00 or better.

Since the Southeastern Conference initiated its academic honors program for student-athletes in 1971, Mississippi State baseball players have received academic all-conference or honor roll status a league-best 331 times.

A school-best seven Mississippi State baseball athletes have also qualified for the 2012 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll, to be announced later by the league office.

All-Time SEC Baseball Academic Honors (1971-2012)

No. School (2012 honorees)
331-Mississippi State (19)
249-Vanderbilt (16)
221-South Carolina (14)

215-Florida (10)
205-Kentucky (12)

204-Louisiana State (11)
199-Ole Miss (8)
182-Arkansas (4)
179-Georgia (14)
164-Alabama (10)
146-Auburn (8)
140-Tennessee (8)

Note: SEC Freshman Honor Roll selections not included; Arkansas and South Carolina listings do not include academic all-conference selections prior to their joining the SEC in 1992.