EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana graduate catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) was named first-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC). McNew becomes USI’s first student athlete to earn an NCAA Division I Academic All-America honor and the seventh Eagle in the history of USI Baseball.
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To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-America Award, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
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The honor caps off an award filled season for McNew. He was named pre-season All-Ohio Valley Conference, second-team All-OVC, and CSC Academic All-District in addition to the Academic All-American.
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McNew, a USI graduate with a bachelor’s degree in management and a master’s degree in business administration, started all 55 games in his final season. He batted .310 with 44 runs scored, 44 RBIs, 11 doubles, two triples, and five home runs, in addition to posting a team-best 18 multi-hit games and tied for the team-lead with 12 multi-RBI games.
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The .307 career hitter finished his USI career tying for 13th all-time with 212 hits; ranked fifth in home runs (25); fifth in RBIs (170); sixth in doubles (51); and tied for 14th in runs scored (142). He also was a versatile player during his career, seeing action in six different positions (catcher, first base, second base, third base, right field, and left field) throughout his five seasons.
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McNew and the Screaming Eagles ended the programs first season at Division I and in the OVC with an appearance in the conference tournament, an 8-15 league record, and a 17-38 overall record.
