Baseball: Thurman And Girouard Named To Capital One Academic All-District® Baseball Teams

LAFAYETTE, La. – Junior catcher Nick Thurman and senior designated hitter Tyler Girouard were selected to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District^® Baseball Teams, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday. The Capital One Academic All-America Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
 
The pair were selected as one of 11 players on the District 6 Team which is comprised of Division I players from the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
 
"I think its always an honor and a privilege to be on any national award list," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "A lot of them only focus on a player’s athletic ability. What I really like about this award is that you are not only judged on your athletic ability, but you have to get there based on your academic ability. I think that’s what it should always be about. We always tell our guys not to let their athletic mission undermine their academic mission. And these two guys have not only done a great job on the field, but also in the classroom."
 
First-team Academic All-District ® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month and in early June.
 
"I think a lot of the success we have been having in the classroom as a team is a direct correlation to the hard work by coach Doe (Chris Domingue)," Robichaux added. "Phil Pinkston and Christy Alford in the student academic office have also been key in our academic success, but coach Doe is my liaison between the student and the student academic center. He really does a great job."
 
In the classroom, Girouard graduated with a 3.62 in sports management in the spring of 2014 and has posted a 4.00 in his first semester of graduate school working towards his master’s in business administration. He’s been named to the dean’s list five times, the president’s list once and has been named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List in three straight years.
 
Girouard ranks second on the team and sixth in the Sun Belt in average hitting .342 with 14 doubles, three home runs, 20 RBI and has scored 31 times. His 14 doubles also ranks sixth in the league.
 
Thurman has also excelled in the classroom posting a cumulative 3.56 GPA with a focus in management. The Belle Chasse, La., native has been named to the dean’s list twice, the president’s list once and was tabbed to the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List.
 
The junior was named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list earlier this season and is hitting .302 with nine doubles, three triples, a home run and 32 RBI. Thurman also has thrown out 18 runners on the season staring in all but six games at catcher.
 
"The big thing we talk about all the time is not just competing on the field," Robichaux said. "A lot of times athletes think I’m an athlete so I need to compete on the field, but they don’t compete off of the field. We talk about it all the time in here. We want you to compete on the field, in the classroom, off of the field, in the community and in self-improvement. We want you to stay competing, and I think both of these guys have done a good job of competing in the classroom and off of the field." 
 
For updates and info on Ragin’ Cajuns baseball, follow the squad on twitter @CajunsBaseball or check RaginCajuns.com.
 
NCAA DIVISION I FIRST TEAM (DISTRICT 6 – AR, IA, LA, MN, MO, MS, ND, SD, WI)
Pos.                           Name                                     School                                Yr.       Hometown  GPA     Major
P     Stuart Holmes     NICHOLLS STATE                 Sr.     Vancleave, Miss.        3.53     Interdisciplinary studies
P     Ben Meyer          MINNESOTA                          Sr.     New Brighton, Minn.   3.53     Accounting
C     Nick Thurman     LOUISIANA                            Jr.     Belle Chasse, La.       3.56     Management
IF     Jason Blum         SOUTHEAST MISSOURI ST.         Gr.                              Ste. Genevieve, Mo.           4.00     Finance
IF     Seth Heck           MISSISSIPPI STATE             Sr.     Edmonds, Wash.         4.00     Business administration
IF     Danny Mannion  SAINT LOUIS                         So.    St. Louis, Mo.             3.99     Biology / pre-med
IF     Hunter Williams  TULANE                                 So.    West Monroe, La.       4.00     Neuroscience
OF   Michael Bozarth SAINT LOUIS                         Jr.     Creve Coeur, Mo.       3.57     Business administration / accounting
OF   Dalton Hewitt      SOUTHEAST MISSOURI ST.         Sr.                              Ballwin, Mo.            3.85     Finance
OF   Sam Koenig       WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE     Sr.     Prairie du Sac, Wis.    3.86     Education
DH   Tyler Girouard    LOUISIANA                            Gr.    Lafayette, La.             3.62     Sports management