AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta State baseball's Justin Appel and Kip Custer were named to the Peach Belt Conference's All-Academic Team Monday morning in a statement released from the conference office in Augusta, Ga.
Appel, a four-year veteran of the program made honorable mention with a 3.66 GPA, while Custer's 3.49 GPA broke the list. Appel received his BBA in management in summer 2012 and is currently working on his MBA. Custer, a rising senior is a health and physical education major who will return for his senior campaign next year.
This season Appel, a finalist for the Gerald Daise Leadership Ward, made 15 starts at catcher in 22 appearances and scored five runs off 12 hits. He enjoyed a 2-for-4 game on March 6th against Paine College, blasting two homers with six RBIs and on April 24, he knocked a solo homer at No. 3 USC Aiken.
Custer, named the 2013 MVP for baseball, compiled the most wins on the team with a 5-6 record on the mound for the Jaguars. He was first on the squad in innings pitched (81.0) and second on the team with 36 strikeouts.
To be eligible for the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team's events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieve a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) complete at least one full academic year at his or her current institution. The PBC Sports Information Directors oversee and select the teams.
2012-2013 Baseball All-Academic Team
Player School Year Hometown GPA Major
- David Atwood Young Harris Jr. Waynesville, N.C. 3.829 Biology
- Ty Barkell USC Aiken So. Denver, Colo. 3.786 Business
- Kenny Bellavance North Ga. Sr. Stone Mountain, Ga. 3.97 Business
- Danny Brown Flagler So. Fort Myers, Fla. 3.72 Psychology
- Travis Donahoo Young Harris Jr. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.803 English
- Austin Dubberly Montevallo Sr. Helena, Ala. 3.688 Business
- Bill Gerstenslager USC Aiken Sr. Solon, Ohio 3.756 Business
- Patrick Grady Lander Jr. Pompano Beach, Fla. 3.83 Biology
- Dalton Gress Francis Mar. Jr. Aiken, S.C. 3.973 Finance
- Derek Hooper North Ga. Sr. Sharpsburg, Ga. 3.69 Business
- William Leatherwood Young Harris So. Canton, N.C. 3.943 Biology
- Jay Laurienzo Flagler Sr. Tampa, Fla. 3.75 Political Science
- Ryan Milewski USC Aiken Sr. West Boylston, Mass. 3.670 Business
- Clayton Miller Armstrong Jr. Augusta, Ga. 3.449 Rehab. Sciences
- Adam Moore Young Harris Jr. Kennesaw, Ga. 3.769 Business/Public Policy
- Oliver Pratt Young Harris Jr. Dacula, Ga. 3.815 History
- Vinny Rodriguez Montevallo So. Birmingham, Ala. 3.478 Pre-Med
- Randall Sheffield Ga. SW. Sr. PCB, Fla. 3.625 Management
- Tyler Stephan USC Aiken Sr. Louisville, Ky. 3.748 Communications
- Zack Willoughby Montevallo So. Boaz, Ala. 3.854 Business
Honorable Mention: Frank Ambrosino, Georgia Southwestern; JUSTIN APPEL, Augusta State; Jacob Beauchamp, North Georgia; Daniel Bick, Georgia College; Andrew Brodbeck, Flagler; Les Cromer, Georgia Southwestern; KIP CUSTER, Augusta State; R.J. Dennard, Armstrong; Zade Denton, UNC Pembroke; Austin Dunn, Lander; Max Gagnon, UNC Pembroke; Chris Hyatt, Lander; Weston Lawling, Lander; Erik Lunde, Lander; Casey Maloney, Armstrong; Hart Mizell, Columbus State; Travis Naraine, North Georgia; Jarrod Taylor, Georgia Southwestern; Tom Valichka, Young Harris.