ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The South Atlantic Conference announced on Thursday that Tusculum University baseball pitcher Mitch McCain will be one of two inaugural recipients of the Bob McCloskey Insurance (BMI) Postgraduate Scholarship. The female recipient of the SAC Postgraduate Scholarship is Wingate University volleyball standout Anna Holmquist.
"We are very excited to be awarding our first postgraduate scholarships to assist these amazing individuals in furthering their education," said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz. "It is an honor to be able to reward the hard work and dedication that these student-athletes have put in on the field and court, as well as in the classroom."
"We are honored to be able to help support the student-athletes of the South Atlantic Conference," Peter Ginnegar, Senior Vice President of BMI stated. "We know that the cost of higher education can be difficult to manage, but we hope these scholarships will allow these deserving student-athletes the opportunity to complete their degrees."
McCain, a senior left-handed pitcher from Lawrenceville, Georgia, was a three-time time SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection and Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll honoree. He completed his career as a Pioneer pitcher making 46 appearances, striking out 90 batters in 65.1 innings with a 4.84 ERA, five saves and a 7-5 record. He helped lead Tusculum to three appearances in the SAC Pilot Flying J Baseball Championship and multiple 30-win seasons.
"I want to thank the South Atlantic Conference for honoring me with the post graduate scholarship," said McCain. "I am very grateful to Tusculum University and the Tusculum baseball program for allowing me the opportunity to become a student-athlete and affording me the opportunity to further my academic and athletic career."
A business administration major with an economics major, McCain holds a 3.67 GPA. Upon graduation he plans on attending Tusculum University where he will pursue a Master's in business administration degree.
"Mitch embodies the life of a student-athlete and for him to have the opportunity to continue his graduate work here with us is tremendous," said Tusculum head baseball coach Brandon Steele. "Mitch will be able to continue to make an impact on our campus and community with his leadership and character and we will be better for it."
The BMI postgraduate scholarships are awarded to SAC student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and have completed their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Both Holmquist and McCain will receive a one-time, non-renewable scholarship of $2,000 toward the graduate school of their choice.
