Baseball | 5/14/2020 2:27:00 PM
Seniors Justin Graham, Allen Murphy and Thomas Pasquale of the St. John Fisher baseball team earned 2020 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors on Thursday May 14. The trio, who are among just 11 players from District III (New York State) to earn First-Team Academic All-District distinctions, are now eligible to be named Academic All-American, which will be announced in early June.
To be considered, a student-athlete must have reached their sophomore year and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30. Nominees must have also made a significant impact on their team's success on the field of play. The Empire 8 now has 11 CoSIDA Academic All-District selections in 2019-20.
Now a two-time Academic All-District selection, Murphy was tabbed after carrying a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. A biology major, Murphy had 12 hits in 46 at-bats this year to go along with two doubles, two homers and nine RBI.
One of the more feared hitters in the New York Region, Murphy, who was named an Academic All-American last year, earned his fair share of accolades at the conclusion of the 2019 season. The Richburg native was named the Empire 8 and New York Region Player of the Year and would go on to be named an All-American by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Over his career, Murphy, who was named the fifth-best prospect in Division III by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and was tabbed a preseason All-American by D3baseball.com leading into the 2020 season, accounted for 154 hits, 36 doubles, 93 RBI and a .338 batting average. His 20 career home runs mark the second-most in program history.
Pasquale was named All-District for the second time in his career after the infielder posted a 3.94 cumulative grade-point average over the last four years. A biology major, Pasquale played in all 11 games at the hot corner in 2020 and was riding an 11-game hitting streak. He hit .302 overall with 13 hits, four doubles, four RBI and 11 runs scored.
Pasquale closed out his career as a two-time All-Region honoree along with two All-Conference selections to his credit. He ranks eighth all-time in Fisher's rich history with 174 career hits while his 129 runs scored ranks eighth. The Endicott native had a chance to become the program's all-time leader in doubles before the season was cut short as he mashed 48 over his career.
A Finance major, Graham was named All-District for the first time in his career with a 3.79 average. One of the top shortstops in Division III, Graham finished the abbreviated season with 16 hits to put him at 199 for his career. The senior, who was named a Preseason All-American by D3baseball.com, owned a .364 batting average for the season over 11 games and smacked a team-best six doubles. His .614 slugging percentage ranked second on the roster while his four steals led the team.
A two-time All-Region selection and a three-time First-Team All-Conference honoree, Graham sits at fifth in program history with 139 runs scored, seventh in career hits, eighth in career doubles, seventh in career triples and owned a .352 career batting average.
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The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
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