Baseball | 6/10/2020 10:04:16 AM
St. John Fisher College baseball standouts Allen Murphy, Thomas Pasquale and Justin Graham were named to the 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America Baseball team by the College Sports Information Directors of America on June 9. The announcement marks a high point for Fisher, which has never had three members of the same team named Academic All-American in its history. The Cardinals' three selections was also the most of any Division III program in the nation.
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. To date, Fisher now has 29 Academic All-America selections by COSIDA with the baseball program boasting 11 in all.
The Empire 8 now has five CoSIDA Academic All-America selections in 2019-20, as Tony Silvanic from St. John Fisher football and Megan Flynn of Sage women's basketball were also honored.
Murphy was named to the first team for the second consecutive year as he was one of just four players honored to carry 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 in 2020.
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.
Thomas Pasquale was named Second Team Academic All-America on Tuesday after posting 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, who had been named Academic All-District twice in his career, closed out his time at Fisher 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 ninth. 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 Third Team Academic All-America for the first time in his career, carrying a 3.79 GPA. 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 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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