BSB: ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT - Putney on Academic All-District VIII Team for 2nd Time

NEWBERG, Ore. – For the second time in his fine career, ace righthander Mark Putney of George Fox University has been named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine / CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII College Division Baseball First Team as voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Putney posted a 6-4 record as the Bruins’ number one starter, with a 4.31 earned run average and 60 strikeouts in 71.0 innings.  He walked only 23 batters and allowed opponents a .278 batting average.  He was the staff leader in starts (12), wins, and strikeouts, and was second in innings and third in ERA.  In the Northwest Conference, he ranked second in strikeouts, tied for second in starts, tied for fifth in wins, seventh in innings, and eighth in ERA and opponents’ batting average.

In his three-year varsity career, Putney went 16-7 with a 3.79 ERA in 39 games and 180.2 innings.  He fanned 144 while walking only 47, and made 26 starts with six complete games and three shutouts.  On the all-time George Fox pitching lists, he is second in shutouts, sixth in starts, tied for sixth in complete games, 10th in innings and strikeouts, and tied for 10th in wins.

A senior from Kodiak, Alaska, Putney graduated from George Fox this spring with a 3.97 grade point average as a history major.  He was also an Academic All-District selection in 2008 as a sophomore when he compiled a 6-2 record with a 3.29 ERA.  Injuries caused him to miss the first portion of the 2009 season or his numbers might have earned him yet another Academic All-District honor. 

Other members of the Academic All-District VIII Team include pitcher Kirby St. John of California-San Diego; catcher Cole Bixenman of Linfield; infielders Steven Dannaway of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Sammy Davis of Pacific Lutheran, and Matt Luzar and Tyler Hadzinsky of Chapman; outfielders Jason Moseby of Western Oregon, Kevin Pillar of California State-Dominguez Hills, and Dan Belet of Whitworth; and designated hitter Brett Sandford of Redlands.

As a member of the Academic All-District First Team, Putney is automatically submitted for consideration for the Academic All-America Team, which will be chosen soon by CoSIDA’s Academic All-America Committee.  Complete Academic All-District and All-America Teams may be found on line on the CoSIDA web site at http://www.cosida.com/Academic%20All-America/aaaselections.aspx.

District VIII of CoSIDA consists of all sports information directors and college sports media relations personnel from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawai'i, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho. This is the sixth year for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program to be sponsored by ESPN The Magazine.