Former Haybaler and San Jose State senior Karson Klauer was
selected to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America
baseball third team on Tuesday after maintaining a 3.91 grade-point
average in business administration, with a concentration in
management, according to a statement.
HOLLISTER
Former Haybaler and San Jose State senior Karson Klauer was selected to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America baseball third team on Tuesday after maintaining a 3.91 grade-point average in business administration, with a concentration in management, according to a statement.
As selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Klauer is the first San Jose State student-athlete from any sport to earn Academic All-America honors since golfer Karen Margrethe in July 1997. He is one of 12 third-team choices for baseball, one of two honorees from the Western Athletic Conference, and one of two Bay Area selections.
“Karson Klauer is certainly one of the most deserving young men to get this award,” head coach Sam Piraro said in a statement. “When Karson is a father and a grandfather, I think he’ll certainly look back at this award at that time and really be proud of it. Right now, he may not understand its depth, but as a coach, I know how hard that is to do, so it’s a rare feat.”
Klauer fulfilled his academic requirement last Friday after needing just one class this semester to complete his undergraduate degree. The 2006 graduate of San Benito High School is eligible to participate in this weekend’s commencement ceremonies as a result, but is currently competing with the SJSU baseball team at the WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz.
“Growing up, my family has always been big on academics,” Klauer said in a statement. “I came in (to San Jose State) with that. I took some courses in high school that helped me get ready for the college experience, and I’ve just tried to work hard during my four years here in general, both academically and athletically.”
To be eligible for Academic All-America, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, as well as have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings.
This was Klauer’s third time on the national Academic All-America ballot after he had been selected Academic All-District the last three years in District VIII, which consists of NCAA Division I programs in California, Hawaii, Arizona, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
He is a three-time Academic All-Conference selection in the Western Athletic Conference, a three-time SJSU Scholar-Athlete, and has posted the highest cumulative GPA of any Spartan male student-athlete for each of the past three academic years, according to the school’s website.
“It’s been really exciting to be up for it (Academic All-America) the last couple of years,” Klauer said in a statement. “It’s nice to finally have it happen. I was hoping it would. I’ve been playing a little bit better this year, and I think that probably had something to do with it. I’m really excited about the whole thing.”
Klauer is actually enjoying one of his best seasons with the Spartans. He is currently batting a career-best .317 (70 of 221) at San Jose State, with a team-best five home runs, 28 runs scored, 12 doubles, one triple and 37 RBI.
The sixth-seeded Spartans (21-35) will open the WAC Tournament against No. 3 Nevada (34-20-1) on Wednesday in Mesa, Ariz. First pitch is 7:30 p.m.
