VWC’s Axelrod First Team, BC’s Elkins and GC’s Starbuck to Second Team

 SALEM, Va. --- Three ODAC baseball players added postseason honors to their résumés over the past week as the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced its academic all-district teams.  Virginia Wesleyan College infielder Max Axelrod headlines the list as he was named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 3 First Team.  Bridgewater College first baseman/pitcher Drew Elkins and Guilford College outfielder Alex Starbuck were tabbed to the second team.

The academic all-district teams are a part of the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Program, covering schools in separate university (NCAA Division I) and college (NCAA Divisions II and III) divisions.  To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution.  Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games at the position listed on the nomination form (where applicable).  No student-athlete is eligible until he/she has completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility.

Student-athletes named to academic all-district first teams move on to the national ballot for academic all-america consideration.  Axelrod fits these criteria and joins student-athletes from eight different districts in the next round of voting.  The 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic-America Baseball Teams are set to be announced May 25.

Axelrod, a senior from Chesapeake, Va., was named the 2010 ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete in a vote of the conference’s sports information directors.  He boasts a 3.95 grade point average in an individualized major developed within the school’s curriculum.  He is a Presidential Scholarship recipient, and has been an honoree on the VWC Dean’s List each of four semesters since transferring from the College of William and Mary.  He also received the 2009 and 2010 W.B. Schaffer Awards as the male student-athlete with the highest GPA at VWC.  On the field, Axelrod was named Honorable Mention All-ODAC.  He hit at a .324 clip with 10 doubles, three triples, two homers and 29 RBI.  He was the Marlins’ top man on the base paths as he swiped eight bags in 10 attempts.

Elkins, a senior from Lynchburg, Va., enjoys his second showing on the second team (2008), which sandwich a selection to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-District First Team in 2009.  Elkins owns a 3.876 GPA as an athletic training major, having three times been named to the All-ODAC Academic Team and twice to the VaSIDA Academic Team.  On the field, Elkins and the Eagles await their position in the 2010 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament bracket after winning the ODAC title.  He currently owns a .311 batting average with 42 hits and 24 RBI in 36 games played.  On the mound, Elkins is 5-3 in 12 appearances (nine starts) with a 4.08 earned run average in 64.0 innings pitched.  He’s fanned 53 batters and allowed just 16 walks.

Starbuck, a senior from Kernersville, N.C., is also making his second appearance on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-District Second Team.  In the classroom, Starbuck maintains a 3.63 GPA as a psychology major with a minor in sports marketing.  He has earned recognition on the Guilford Dean’s List seven times and is a three-time member of the All-ODAC Academic Team.  On the field, Starbuck led the Quakers’ hitters with a career-high .370 batting average over 36 games and won the team’s McBane Hitting Award. The left-handed batter earned honorable mention All-ODAC recognition and tied the school record with 17 doubles this season, which stands second among ODAC leaders through games of Apr. 25. Starbuck also led Guilford with 51 hits and 29 runs scored, both career highs, and had four homers and 24 runs batted in. 

For a look at the complete list of CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Baseball Teams, click on the following link: http://www.cosida.com/documents/2010/5/10/2010_AAA_AllDistrict_Baseball_UPDATED.pdf.  For more information on the academic all-america program, visit CoSIDA at www.cosida.com.