Seven Zags Earn All-Academic Honors
5/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Complete All-WCC Team
SAN BRUNO, Calif.—The Gonzaga University baseball team continued to collect postseason awards Wednesday as seven Bulldogs earned West Coast Conference All-Academic honors, which were announced by the WCC office.
Three of those seven were named WCC All-Academic as David Bigelow, Mitchell Gunsolus, and Joey Harris each made the team again in 2015. All three of them were All-Academic in 2014, and Gunsolus also earned the honor in 2013 as well. He received All-Academic honors after a standout senior year, finishing among the team's top two in nearly every offensive category and setting career marks with a .353/.449/.556 slash line, 73 hits and 34 RBIs. He also led the conference with 46 runs scored. Gunsolus graduated from the School of Business Administration with a 3.45 GPA, and he was also recognized for his academics earlier this season by earning a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District squad for District 8.
Also graduating earlier this month, Bigelow received a Master's in Business Administration degree, posting a GPA of 3.85 in graduate school. He was just as effective on the mound as the right hander tallied a 2.08 ERA and made 24 appearances for the Zags. Bigelow saved 10 games on the year, the second most during a season in program history. He too posted multiple career highs in 2015, earning personal bests in ERA, innings pitched, saves, and strikeouts.
Harris returned to the All-Academic list with a standout year behind the dish for Gonzaga. The junior was second in the nation with 28 runners caught stealing, and his .509 caught stealing percentage is also second-best among DI catchers with at least 18 caught stealing. Harris also posted a .381 fielding percentage while having a career year offensively as well, setting highs in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, and walks. A business law major, Harris has a 3.59 GPA.
Four more Bulldogs earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention Wednesday: Brandon Bailey, Sam Brown, Taylor Jones, and Cory LeBrun. Both Bailey and Brown earned their first career All-Academic awards in their first year of eligibility. Bailey won a career high eight games as a sophomore and tallied his first shutout, holding Saint Mary's to just four hits April 12. He ended the year with 91 strikeouts, tied for second in the WCC. The sport management major has a 3.26 GPA through two years in school. Brown meanwhile started all 52 games in the outfield for Gonzaga, collecting 63 hits, 27 RBIs, 26 walks, and 32 runs scored. He improved on nearly every offensive category during his second year at Gonzaga and made numerous spectacular catches in the outfield as well. A physical education major, Brown's posted a 3.42 GPA.
Jones and LeBrun, meanwhile, are each picking up their second consecutive Honorable Mention award. Jones led the team in batting this season, breaking out for a .358 average, 48 hits, 30 RBIs, and 24 runs in 44 games and 33 starts. The junior also played tremendous defense at first base, fielding .991, second-highest among all Zag starters. In the classroom, he's posted a 3.40 GPA while studying applied communication studies. LeBrun, meanwhile, earned the award after a strong senior campaign. He set personal marks with a .318 batting average and 16 doubles and was just one hit away from tying his best of 57 base knocks as well. LeBrun received his Bachelor's degree this past winter and began work on a graduate degree in organizational leadership during spring semester. He has a cumulative GPA of 3.45.
Gonzaga is the only team with three players on the WCC All-Academic squad. San Francisco and Saint Mary's are the only other schools to have multiple players make the team. The Bulldogs seven total honorees also pace the conference.
In order to be considered for WCC All-Academic awards, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA while also being a significant contributor to his team. He must also have spent at least one full year at their school as well, meaning freshmen and recent transfers are not eligible for the award.
