May 21, 2012

IRVING, Tex. - Rice's Matthew Reckling and Jeremy Rathjen have been named to the 2012 Conference USA All-Academic Baseball Team, the league announced Monday (May 21) from its headquarters in Irving, Tex.

The C-USA all-academic team consists of student-athletes with a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and are a starter or key reserve for their team. The members were voted upon by the league's sports information directors. The announcement is two days before play begins in the 2012 C-USA Championship this week in Pearl, Miss. As Rice clinched the C-USA regular-season title, its 17th consecutive season with a conference regular-season and/or tournament crown, it placed two members on the league's all-academic team.

Rathjen, who earlier this year was also selected to the Capital One Academic All-District Team, made a comeback from a season-ending injury in 2011 to start every game in 2012. The redshirt junior leads the Owls in home runs (9) and doubles (13) and he is second in hitting (.338) and RBI (39). A Houston native from Memorial High School, Rathjen maintained a 3.52 grade point average in Economics.

Reckling is also a Houston native who stayed in his hometown to help the Owls earn a No. 4 national ranking by Baseball America. He is tied for the league lead in victories with eight. He averages 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings and has held all hitters to a composite .178 batting average on the season, lowest in the league. He was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week three times, more than any other player this season.

The Rice baseball team is 39-15 overall this season. With the C-USA regular season title the Owls also clinched the No. 1 seed at the upcoming C-USA Championship Tournament, scheduled to get underway on Wednesday (May 23) in Pearl, Miss. The tourney features four days of pool play followed by a single Championship Final on Sunday (May 27). Rice's opening game in the tournament will be Houston starting at 3 pm.

2012 Conference USA Baseball All-Academic Team (*Repeat Selection)
NAME - SCHOOL - YEAR - GPA - MAJOR
Drew Reynolds - East Carolina - Sophomore - 3.44 - Physical Education
Jared Ray - Houston - Senior - 3.44 - Psychology
Ethan Gross - Memphis - Sophomore - 3.82 - Accounting
Dan Langfield - Memphis - Junior - 3.69 - Sport & Leisure Managment
Sam Moll - Memphis - Sophomore - 3.69 - Accounting
* Jeremy Rathjen - Rice - Junior (redshirt) - 3.52 - Economics
Matthew Reckling - Rice - Senior - 3.45 - Sport Management
Michael Sterling - Southern Miss - Freshman-R - 3.48 - Construction Engineering
Brandon Boudreaux - Tulane - Junior - 3.66 - Management
Jeremy Schaffer - Tulane - Senior - 3.31 - Finance
* Keith DePew - UAB - Senior - 3.92 - High School Education & History
Ryan Nance - UAB - Senior - 3.41 - Marketing