May 08, 2008
Senior Darby Brown and junior Brian Ruggiano were each named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on Thursday. Brown earned first-team honors as a designated hitter while Ruggiano was named as an outfielder on the second team.
Brown, from Lubbock, sports a 3.6 GPA and will graduate this weekend from Texas A&M with a degree in agricultural leadership and development. He has appeared in every game this year for the Aggies, starting 46, and is hitting .353 on the season. Brown ranks second on the squad in both home runs (nine) and runs batted in (53), and is the team's second-leading hitter in conference games with a .420 average. He was one of two Big 12 representatives on the first team.
Ruggiano, who hails from Austin, has compiled a 3.3 GPA and will also graduate this weekend with a degree in agricultural leadership and development. He has started 48 of the team's 49 games, mainly in right field or behind the plate, and ranks fifth on the team with a .335 average. Ruggiano, who has smashed eight home runs and driven in 37, ranks second on the squad in doubles (12) and third in hits (61).
District VI of CoSIDA, or the College Sports Information Directors of America, is made up of institutions in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. There are eight CoSIDA districts nationally.
No. 5 Texas A&M is in Lincoln to battle fifth-ranked Nebraska in a showdown of the Big 12's top two teams. First pitch of the series opener Friday is set for 6:35 p.m.
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Teams
FIRST TEAM
Bradley Chovanec UTSA Pitcher
Chris Kelley Rice Pitcher
Hunt Woodruff TCU Catcher
Mike Jaworski Northwestern State Infield
Brandon Eller Arkansas State Infield
Chris Auten New Mexico State Infield
Jet Butler Mississippi State Infield
Paul Saville Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Outfield
Clint Arnold TCU Outfield
Aaron Miller Baylor Outfield
Darby Brown Texas A&M Designated Hitter
SECOND TEAM
Cole St. Clair Rice Pitcher
Todd McInnis Southern Miss Pitcher
Scott Bittle Ole Miss Pitcher
Tyler Lyons Oklahoma State Pitcher
Matthew Schexnayder Southeastern Louisiana Catcher
Johnny Giavotella New Orleans Infield
Trey Sutton Southern Miss Infield
Shaver Hansen Baylor Infield
Jimmy Comerota Rice Infield
Jordy Mercer Oklahoma State Infield
Grant Hogue Mississippi State Outfield
Michael Rockett UTSA Outfield
Roger Kieschnick Texas Tech Outfield
Nick Hardy Mississippi State Outfield
Brian Ruggiano Texas A&M Outfield
Bobby Moore New Mexico Designated Hitter