Five Huskers Named Academic All-Big 12

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Five members of the Big 12 regular-season champion Husker baseball team were honored on Tuesday, as they were selected to the academic All-Big 12 team.

The group, which includes four first-team honorees, is led by outfielder Daniel Bruce, who makes his third appearance as a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection. Bruce, who carries a 3.86 GPA in English, is one of four repeat selections for the Huskers.

Relievers Jeremy Becker (agricultural engineering) and Dustin Timm (communication studies) both repeated as first-team honorees, while Phil Shirek (biological sciences) was a second-team selection for the second straight year. Junior Brian Duensing (English education) rounds out Husker honorees as he makes his first appearance on the squad.

The Huskers have had 21 academic All-Big 12 selections in three years under Coach Mike Anderson, including 15 first-team selections.

Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the baseball academic all-league squad consisted of 29 first team members combined with 18 on the second team. First team members include those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must record a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters. All players nominated must have participated in 60 percent of his team’s scheduled contests, while pitchers are required to have at least one inning pitched per game played by the team or have appeared in 35 percent of their team’s total games. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

Many of the student-athletes on the academic teams will participate in the 2005 Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament scheduled for Wednesday-Sunday at SBC Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Okla. Baylor, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech qualifed for the event.

Nebraska and Baylor finished the conference race as co-champions. The Huskers have nailed down the No. 1 seed after defeating the Bears twice in the three-game series between those schools. It marks the first tie for top honors in league diamond history. The Huskers will begin their quest for the Big 12 Tournament title on Wednesday night against Texas Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.

First-Team Academic All-Big 12
Name Yr. Major
Jeremy Becker Sr. Agricultural Engineering
Daniel Bruce Sr. English
Brian Duensing Jr. English Education
Dustin Timm Sr. Communication Studies

Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
Name  Yr. Major
Phil Shirek Sr. Biological Sciences