AUSTIN, Texas - After a breakout season that saw him lead Anderson University baseball in several offensive categories, junior catcher LJ Newman was named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District Team for District III, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
Being one of two Trojans to start in every game this season, Newman paced the Black and Gold with a .381 (74-for-194) batting average, a .624 slugging percentage, 41 runs scored, 74 hits and 18 doubles, which currently ranks seventh in the South Atlantic Conference. Newman closed the season on a four-game hitting streak, including notching two hits in Anderson's first win in the SAC Tournament in program history over Brevard on April 23.
The Piedmont, S.C. native recorded hitting streaks of 12 and 13 games on the year, headlined by a conference series with Coker where he finished 9-for-13 (.692) at the plate with three doubles for the three-game set. Newman went on to finish the season with nine three-hit games and 14 multi-hit contests. The catcher eventually closed the tournament with six hits, highlighted by a three-hit performance against top-seeded Catawba.
Prior to the postseason, Newman landed on the league's Honorable Mention list, joining former standout Landon Beck as the only Trojans to claim that honor. Newman's honor also marks the second straight season AU has placed a player on the Academic All-District Team after Nathaniel Galliford landed on the list a season ago.
Newman is one of six players from the SAC to earn a spot on the team, as Newberry's Cole Cromer, Alex Roberts and JoJo Bradley joined Lenoir-Rhyne's Brantley Rumford and Coker's Sammy Song.
In the classroom, Newman carries a 3.80 GPA while majoring in
Nursing.
Complete List
of CoSIDA Academic All-District Winners
