Five Salukis Named to 2004 MVC Scholar-Athlete Baseball Team
06/08/2004 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
June 8, 2004
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Five Salukis, including Nick Baughman, Nathan Emrick, P.J. Finigan, Adam Snyder and Marshall Tucker were named to the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Baseball Team, announced today by the league office.
Baughman, who was also named to this year's CoSIDA Academic All-District team, garnered first-team honors, while Emrick, Finigan, Snyder and Tucker, were tabbed honorable mention. This year's team was determined by a vote of the league's sports information directors.
A native of Bloomington, Ill., Baughman carries a 3.79 GPA in elementary education. As a team captain, he hit .258 with 39 hits, 23 runs, five doubles, one home run and 13 RBI in 50 games for the Salukis this season. This year marks the second straight that Baughman has taken MVC scholar-athlete honors.
Along with Baughman, Tucker was also a repeat selection on this year's scholar-athlete team. Tucker, who hails from St. Louis, Mo., holds a 3.63 GPA in Marketing. He appeared on the mound 17 times this season and was a starter in 13 of those outings. Tucker also ranked third on the team with 45 strikeouts.
Rounding out those representing SIU on the 2004 MVC Scholar-Athlete team are first-time picks Emrick, Snyder and Finigan.
A first-team all-MVC utility player and member of the 2004 MVC all-tournament team, Emrick led SIU in several offensive categories, including batting average (.353), at-bats (238), runs scored (36) and hits (84). A native of Griggsville, Ill., he boasts a 3.31 GPA as a History major.
Snyder, on the other hand, hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., and carries a 3.69 GPA in Marketing. He made 15 relief appearances and held a 4.21 ERA, while striking out 14 batters in 25.2 innings.
Meanwhile, Finigan majors in Business Management, where he has a 3.20 GPA. A native of Springfield, Ill., Finigan was named preseason all-MVC and was voted among the league's best tools according to Baseball America's College Preview. He started 57 games at shortstop, where he hit .265 with 34 runs, 56 hits, 13 doubles, a team-leading five triples, three home runs and 33 RBI.
In all, 32 MVC baseball student-athletes received recognition for their athletic and academic achievement.
