CoSIDA Academic All-America Teams

RINDGE, N.H. (June 3, 2016) – Senior right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) of the East Region champion Franklin Pierce University baseball team has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team, as announced on Thursday afternoon by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). In addition, senior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) has landed on the Academic All-America Third Team.

To be eligible for selection, each student-athlete must own a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or higher, be at least a sophomore in academic standing and be a starter or significant contributor athletically. Only Academic All-District First Team selections appear on the Academic All-America ballot. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are voted on by sports information directors in the district and nation, respectively.

It is the first career CoSIDA Academic All-America selection for both Bird and Brock, and marks the first time the baseball program has had a student-athlete earn Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA since 2013.

Bird, a four-year member of the Ravens bullpen who took on increased responsibilities as a senior, is currently carrying a 3.62 grade-point average as a marketing major. Over 23 appearances this spring, including one start, Bird logged 64 innings and posted a 1.55 earned-run average, which ranks fifth in the nation. He has allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 41 hits, walked 13 and struck out 71 (9.98 per nine innings) on the way to an 8-1 record and three saves.

Brock, a four-year starter in the middle infield for the Ravens, sports a 3.40 GPA as an accounting major. During his senior season, he set new school records for career stolen bases (116) and stolen bases in a season (47), and currently leads the nation in stolen bases and ranks third in stolen bases per game (0.85). While playing all 57 games at shortstop, Brock hit .337/.433/.466 over 208 at-bats (70-for-208), with 14 doubles, two triples and three home runs. He scored 58 runs, drove in 32 and walked 26 times against 38 strikeouts.

The Ravens (48-9) captured the seventh NCAA Regional title in program history on May 23, with a 6-3 win over Southern New Hampshire. The Ravens also claimed their fifth straight Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division title during the 2016 campaign. Over 109 games since the start of the 2015 season, Franklin Pierce owns a 96-13 record (.881), which is the best winning percentage in the nation in that timeframe.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).