SPOKANE (May 4) -- Six student-athletes from the Central Washington University baseball team have been named to the 2010 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Academic All-Conference Team, announced Tuesday by the GNAC office.
The Wildcats' six selections were the most in the five-team conference and accounted for more than one-third of the 17 academic all-GNAC selections this year. That total also matches the most academic all-conference honorees representing CWU in the nine-year history of the conference.
Headlining the group is senior
Kevin Walkenhauer (Yakima/West Valley HS), whose 3.87 grade-point average as a biology major is the third-highest in the conference. He is also one of three players to earn academic all-conference accolades for the third time in his career.
Five other seniors also represent CWU on the academic all-conference team. Pitcher
Michael McCanna (Addy/Jenkins HS) was named to the team for the second time in his career with a 3.40 GPA as a construction management major. Earning academic all-star honors for the first time are infielders
Kevin Schneider (Spokane/Mead HS) and
Evan Churlin (Monroe) and outfielders
Anthony Sanelli (Carnation/Issaquah HS) and
Ricky McKinney (Aberdeen).
Schneider carries a 3.74 GPA in construction management, while Churlin is a physical education major with a 3.20 GPA. Sanelli is a business administration major with a 3.58 GPA and McKinney is majoring in economics and carries a 3.31 GPA.
To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, student-athletes must carry a 3.20 GPA or higher, be a current letter winner, and must be either in their second year of competition at their current university or, in Churlin's case, be a senior transfer.
Central Washington (11-35, 5-23 GNAC) will wrap up its 2010 season this weekend by hosting Montana State Billings (10-32, 7-21 GNAC) in a four-game series at the CWU Baseball Field on Friday (1 p.m.) and Saturday (noon).
2010 GNAC BASEBALL ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
**Kevin Walkenhauer, CWU (Biology, Sr., 3.87, Yakima)
Kevin Schneider, CWU (Construction Management, Sr., 3.74, Spokane)
Anthony Sanelli, CWU (Business Administration; Sr., 3.58, Carnation)
*Michael McCanna, CWU (Construction Management, Sr., 3.40, Addy)
Ricky McKinney, CWU (Economics, Sr., 3.31, Aberdeen)
Evan Churlin, CWU (Physical Education, Sr., 3.20, Monroe)
Jeff Ridgeway, Montana State Billings (Criminal Justice, Jr., 3.48, Billings, Mont.)
**Matt Schoonover, Montana State Billings (Health & Human Performances, Sr., 3.37, Great Falls, Mont.)
**Jared Joffer, Northwest Nazarene (Chemistry, Sr., 3.42, Nampa, Idaho)
Connor Rankin, Northwest Nazarene (History, Sr., 3.31, Shoreline)
Ryan VanBeek, Northwest Nazarene (Business Administration, Jr., 3.20, Yakima)
*Blaine Evans, Saint Martin's (Biology, Jr., 3.99, Camas)
Luke Abbott, Saint Martin's (Sociology, Sr., 3.37, Chehalis)
Jason Moseby, Western Oregon (Public Administration, Sr., 3.92, Bellevue)
Joe Pratt, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, Jr., 3.52, Monmouth, Ore.)
Kirk Lind, Western Oregon (Business, So., 3.37, Vancouver)
Jesse Nunley, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, Sr., 3.34, Tacoma)
*Repeater **Two-time repeater