UCA's Barker, Queens' Cheek Named #ASUNBSB Scholar-Athletes of the Year; 2023 All-Academic Team Announced
UCA's Barker, Queens' Cheek Named #ASUNBSB Scholar-Athletes of the Year; 2023 All-Academic Team Announced
2023 ASUN Conference Baseball All-Academic Team
ATLANTA – The 2023 ASUN Conference Baseball All-Academic Team has been revealed as Jesse Barker of Central Arkansas and Riley Cheek of Queens were both voted Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the league office announced Monday afternoon. The duo highlights the 13-member list as voted on by the league's sports information directors and academic administrators.
The 2023 All-Academic squad has representation from nine different institutions in the league, led by two each from UCA, FGCU, Lipscomb and Queens. Austin Peay, EKU, Jacksonville, Liberty and North Florida also had a student-athlete on the list.
Barker graduated in May with a degree in General Science and a 4.00 GPA. On the mound, he leads the ASUN in strikeouts with 109, is tied for second in wins (7), is third in ERA (3.00) and has three complete games. He had a career-high 11 Ks twice and another game with 10. The Benton, Ark., native went 5-2 with 78 punchouts against ASUN competition, and had at least five strikeouts in all 14 starts this year.
Cheek started every game for the Royals this season and led the offense in batting average (.319), hits (67), doubles (18), home runs (12), RBIs (40) and stolen bases (10). The graduate student has been top 15 in the league all season in batting average and extra-base hits. Cheek, who is majoring in Business, will exit the program ranked in the top three in games played, batting average and home runs.
The All-Academic Team recognizes student-athletes who excel both on the field and in the classroom and exemplify the ASUN's mission of Building Winners for Life. All the members of the team own a 3.50 cumulative grade point average or better and participated in at least half of their team's events.
2023 ASUN Conference Baseball All-Academic Team
Jesse Barker, Central Arkansas (4.00 | Jr. | Benton, Ark. | General Science)
Riley Cheek, Queens (4.00 | Sr. | Shelby, N.C. | Business)
Jon Jon Gazdar, Austin Peay (4.00 | So. | Walnut Creek, Calif. | General Studies/Org. Admin.)
Kolby Johnson#, Central Arkansas (4.00 | Sr. | Pearland, Texas | MBA/Data Analytics)
Logan Thomason, EKU (4.00 | Sr. | Richmond, Ky. | Exercise & Sport Science)
Brian Ellis#, FGCU (3.89 | Sr. | Oviedo, Fla. | Exercise Science)
Alejandro Figueredo, FGCU (3.62 | Sr. Sucre, Venezuela | Integrated Studies)
Kris Armstrong, Jacksonville (3.81 | Gr. | Jupiter, Fla. | MBA)
Gray Betts^, Liberty (3.96 | Sr. | Raleigh, N.C. | Christian Ministry)
Mason Lundgrin, Lipscomb (4.00 | So. | Salina, Kan. | Psychology & Criminal Justice)
Trace Willhoite, Lipscomb (3.90 | So. | Georgetown, Ky. | Business)
Aidan Sweatt, North Florida (3.89 | Jr. | Fernandina Beach, Fla. | Sport Management)
Nick Brassington, Queens (4.00 | Sr. | Raleigh, N.C. | Business)
^ - Denotes a three-time selection to the All-Academic Team
# - Denotes a two-time selection to the All-Academic Team
ASUN Conference, Atlanta – the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.), Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), EKU (Richmond, Ky.), FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jax State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.), North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).