Wingate and Presbyterian Have Baseball Players Named to Verizon Academic All-District Teams

Wingate, N.C.----Three South Atlantic Conference baseball players have been named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District III Baseball teams (college division), selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Wingate University junior shortstop David Yount (Forest City, N.C.) and Presbyterian College senior shortstop Davis Rice (Clinton, S.C.) earned first team honors. Presbyterian senior first baseman Matt Warren (Lexington, S.C.) was named to the second team.

District III (college division) includes all non-NCAA Division I schools (Division II, III and NAIA) in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina. Yount, Rice and the nine other first team selections move on to the national ballot for 2003 Verizon Academic All-America® honors.

An first team All-South Atlantic Conference performer in 2003, Yount owns a 3.53 GPA in his sport management major. A three-year starter, Yount was the only player to start all 52 games for the Bulldogs this season. Wingate compiled a 29-23 overall record and a 13-8 mark in the South Atlantic Conference, good enough for second place in the league's regular season standings.

Yount hit .360 with seven home runs and 45 RBI this season. He led the team in stolen bases with 16. A member of the Wingate University Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Yount served as a volunteer at the Union County Special Olympics this spring.

Rice and Warren led Presbyterian to its first outright Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament title in 2003. The Blue Hose were 27-24 overall and 12-8 in the SAC regular season.

Rice is a Physics major with a Mathematics minor. He has a 3.69 GPA. Last year, he was selected to the Verizon Academic All-District III second team. Rice has a .326 batting average and is second on the team in hits (61) and doubles (nine). Rice has also been a weekend pitcher and reliever with a 3-3 overall record and a 4.79 ERA. He is second on the PC charts with 46 strikeouts.

Warren is a Special Education major with a 3.40 GPA. Last year, he was selected to the Verizon Academic All-District III second team. On the field, Warren led the team with 50 RBI. He is second on the team in home runs (10), total bases (92) and fielding percentage (.990).

Student-athletes selected for Academic All-District honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. He must possess at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). He must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at his institution.