AUSTIN, Texas --- Three Tusculum University student-athletes have been named 2019-20 NCAA Division II Academic All-District 3 Baseball first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors are Bryson Ford, Trey Hinton and Daulton Martin. The Tusculum trio advances to the Academic All-America® national ballot with the winners being announced in June. TU's three honorees are tied for the most in the district.
The Academic All-District 3 Team is selected by members of CoSIDA representing colleges and universities in the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and the Peach Belt Conference.
Division II and III CoSIDA Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2019-20 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CoSIDA Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.
Ford, a senior from Knoxville, Tennessee, has a 3.58 cumulative grade point average majoring in sport management. He has split playing time evenly this year both in the outfield and as an infielder, mostly at shortstop. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the Dean's List. In 2019, he was named to the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) Honor Roll.
Ford started in 21 games where he batted .324 with 24 hits including six doubles, two triples and three home runs with 17 RBI. He also amassed 17 walks and 10 stolen bases. He posted a 13-game hitting streak from Feb. 14-Mar. 7. He owns a .329 career batting average including a .448 on-base percentage. In his 116 career games, the 2019 All-SAC honoree has amassed 37 stolen bases which are tied for the ninth-most in TU history.
Hinton, a senior designated hitter from Knoxville, Tennessee, owns a 3.72 GPA as a sport management major. He was named the 2020 Tusculum University Sport Management Major of the Year and is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. Like Ford, he was also tabbed to the D2 ADA Honor Roll.
In 2020, Hinton finished second on the team with his .338 batting average and finished second on the squad with his 18 walks which were fifth in the league and 36th in the country. He went 10-of-11 in stolen bases (5th in SAC / T37th in NCAA II) including a school-record five thefts on the base paths in a seven-inning win against Gannon University.
In his 92-game career at Tusculum, Hinton has drawn 91 walks which are seventh in Tusculum history. In 2019, he was the NCAA Division II National Statistical Champion averaging 1.26 walks per contest.
Martin, a senior second baseman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, boasts a 3.50 GPA while majoring in business management. He has been named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
He has been named to the All-SAC team three times and is a two-time All-America and All-Region selection. In 2020, he finished third on the roster with his .333 batting average but led the conference with 21 walks, which were the fifth-most in the nation. Martin went 16-of-16 on the base paths including a new single-game record five stolen bases against Gannon.
He is currently Tusculum's all-time leader in career runs scored (183), doubles (60), walks (126) and hit by pitch (37). He has played in 178 career games where he has tallied 242 hits which are second in TU history and is third all-time with 145 career RBI. His .378 career batting average is presently 10th in the school record book and his .499 career on-base percentage is second-best by a Pioneer.
Tusculum finished the abbreviated season with a 15-10 record, winning five of its last six outings.
Academic All-District 3 Baseball First Team
P – Josh Bookbinder, Newberry
P – Hunter Shepherd, Catawba
P – Mat Szabo, Young Harris
C – Cameron Morrison, Catawba
IF – Tyler Adams, Lincoln Memorial
IF – Aaron Anderson, Flagler
IF – Daulton Martin, Tusculum
IF – Jackson Raper, Catawba
OF – Nick Butler, Newberry
OF – Bryson Ford, Tusculum
OF – Tyler Thompson, Carson-Newman
DH – Trey Hinton, Tusculum