SEVEN PIONEERS NAMED TO ALL-SAC BASEBALL TEAM

HICKORY, N.C. --- The Tusculum College baseball team placed seven players on the 2008 All-South Atlantic Conference Team, including Dustin Morrow who was also named the SAC Scholar Athlete Baseball. The announcement came Wednesday night at the league's baseball awards ceremony, held on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne College, site of this year's conference tournament.

Maikol Gonzalez, Christian Rosa and the Morrow brothers, Dustin and Boo were named to the All-SAC First Team, while Raymond Ruggles, Mat Galens and Carlos Rivera garnered Second Team recognition.

Gonzalez, a senior second baseman from Venezuela, earns First Team honors for a second straight year. The 2007 SAC and South Region Player of the Year, leads the conference in batting average (.470) and hits (85). His 85 hits are also tops in the nation, while his batting average is seventh in NCAA Division II. The 2007 All-American is also nationally ranked in several other categories including fifth in runs scored (59), 11th in doubles (19), 10th in triples (6), 12th in total bases (131), 33rd in on-base percentage (.522) and 33rd in stolen bases (23). He enters this week's Food Lion SAC Tournament riding a 22-game hitting streak.

Rosa, a senior from Puerto Rico, is the All-SAC First Team catcher for a second straight season. The 2007 All-Region and All-American standout is hitting .426 (38th in NCAA II) with a SAC-best 63 runs scored (5th in NCAA II), while also leading the league in on-base percentage (.532 - 19th in NCAA II). Rosa is 35th nationally in hits (69), 10th in triples (6), 32nd in slugging percentage (.747), 12th in total bases (121) and 41st in walks (30).

Dustin Morrow, a senior first baseman from Lexington, Ky., garners All-Conference recognition for a second straight year, but initial First Team honor. Morrow, a graduate of Paul Dunbar High School, is currently fourth on the team, hitting .373 with seven doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI.

Boo Morrow, a junior right-handed pitcher from Lexington, Ky., makes his first appearance on the All-SAC Team as one of the top three starting pitchers in the league. Morrow leads the conference with his 1.47 ERA (10th in NCAA II), while posting a perfect 6-0 record (47th in NCAA II). Boo has recorded 43 strikeouts in his 55 innings of work, while limiting the opposition to hit just .228 against him. Morrow enters this week's SAC Tournament with a perfect 10-0 career record.

Rivera, a senior outfielder from Leesburg, Va., makes his second appearance on the All-SAC Team. The 2007 All-Region and All-America honoree is third on the team, hitting .397 while scoring 58 runs (14th in NCAA II), 73 hits (22nd in NCAA II), seven doubles (9th in NCAA II) and 116 total bases (40th in NCAA II).

Ruggles, a senior right-handed pitcher from Newport, Tenn., is second on the squad in ERA (1.62 - 16th in NCAA II), while accounting for a 4-2 record. In his two seasons at TC, he is 12-6 with a 2.26 ERA, which is currently the best in school history. He has 43 strikeouts to his credit, while walking only seven in his 50 innings of action. He is 43rd in the country in hits (6.84) and walks (1.62) per nine innings pitched.