Bucknell University Athletics
Three Bucknell Baseball Players Named Academic All-District
5/11/2001 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Three members of the Bucknell University baseball team were chosen to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-District 2 Baseball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Senior first baseman Russ Lindberg (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) was named to the first team, and senior outfielder Mike Ritz (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) and junior relief pitcher Gregg Farmery (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney) were selected to the second team.
With his selection to the first team, Lindberg is now eligible for national Academic All-America recognition. The national teams will be voted on later this month and announced on Tuesday, June 5.
In order to be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a player must be at least a sophomore and a starter or significant reserve on his/her team, and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better. The academic honor was the first of his career for Lindberg who leads the Bison and ranks fifth in the Patriot League with a .379 average. The 6'4," 235-lb senior earned All-Patriot League honors and was a candidate for league Player of the Year. He enters the Patriot League Tournament this weekend leading the conference in home runs (8), runs batted in (52) and sacrifice flies (6), and is second in slugging percentage (.621) and total bases (90). In the field, he leads all players with 362 putouts and 387 chances.
He was selected to the Pepsi-Johnny Quik All-Tournament team at Fresno State earlier in the season. He hit .458 during that week, including a blistering .647 (11-17) over the final four games of the tournament. Linbderg also took home Patriot League Player of the Week honors following his performance on the spring break trip to California.
In the classroom, he will graduate with a degree in finance. He currently has a 3.58 GPA and has been a perennial member of the Dean's List and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Lindberg is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, a member of the French Club, and a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. In addition, he is part of Bucknell's student-managed Investment Fund, which is a class that invests $200,000 of the school's endowment and then reports annually to the board of trustees.
For Ritz, the academic all-district honor is the second of his career. He was named to the first team as a sophomore. A finance major with a 3.46 GPA, he is also a Dean's List student at Bucknell and a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Ritz is the chief administrator of Bucknell's student-managed Investment Fund, and has already accepted a position with the Bear Stearns Investment Banking Program in New York City. He is a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and a member of Bucknell's Mortar Board.
On the diamond, Ritz is a three-year starter for the Bison in the outfield. He is having the best season of his career, batting .313 with six home runs and 29 RBIs, and was recently chosen to the All-Patriot League First Team. In addition to his home runs (which rank second on the team and fifth in the Patriot League), Ritz has nine doubles and a triple, and a .507 slugging percentage. He has scored 27 runs, fifth-best on the team, and stolen seven bases in eight attempts. Maybe most impressively, in eight more at-bats than he had a year ago (150-to-142), he has struck out 20 fewer times (13-to-33).
Farmery earns academic all-district honors for the first time in his career. He is Bucknell's top pitcher out of the bullpen and has recorded a league-leading six saves, tying the Bucknell single-season record. The right-hander owns a 1.71 earned run average and was tabbed as the All-Patriot League First Team relief pitcher for the second straight season. He has appeared in 20 games for the Orange and Blue, tying a school mark, and is 3-2 overall. In 26.1 innings pitched, Farmery has allowed five earned runs, struck out 16, and walked just five batters. He has appeared in 51 games during his three-year career, all in relief.
A chemical engineering major with a 3.34 GPA, Farmery is a member of SAAC (student-athlete advisory committee), BAAD (Bucknell Athletes Against Drunk Driving) and Sigma Chi Fraternity where he serves as house manager. In addition, he coaches for a local legion baseball team in the summer.
Bucknell has enjoyed outstanding success in the Verizon Academic All-America program. Since 1970, Bucknell student-athletes have earned national Academic All-America honors 99 times, which ranks third behind only Nebraska and Notre Dame in Division I. Earlier this year, Bison football player Dave Evans garnered national honors in the program.
Following is a complete look at the 2001 All-District 2 Teams:
2001 Verizon Academic All-District 2 Teams
First Team Name, Institution Pos. Yr. Major (GPA) Hometown Eric Weltmer, UMBC P Sr. Geography (3.28) N. Cumberland, Pa. Eric Wyatt, St. Joseph's P Sr. Finance (3.40) Frederick, Md. Chris Netwall, Penn State C Sr. Mech. Engineering (3.27) Allentown, Pa. Gregg Davies, Towson INF Jr. Bus. Administration (3.47) Olney, Md. Mike Derenzo, Penn State INF Jr. Comp. Engineering (3.68) Murraysville, Pa. Kevin Kirkby, St. Joseph's INF Sr. Mathematics (3.48) River Vale, N.J. Russ Lindberg, Bucknell INF Sr. Finance (3.58) Cleveland Hts., Ohio Tye Gonser, Lafayette OF Jr. Economics/Bus. (3.60) The Dallas, Ore. Greg Landis, Monmouth OF Sr. Bus. Administration (3.83) Royersford, Pa. Brian Patenaude, Maryland OF Sr. Communications (3.51) Marietta, Ga. Jim Reilly, St. Joseph's DH Sr. Chemistry (3.96) Pittsburgh, Pa.
Second Team Name, Institution Pos. Yr. Major (GPA) Hometown Gregg Farmery, Bucknell P Jr. Chem. Engineering (3.34) Punxsutawney, Pa. Andy Mason, Duquesne P Sr. Inform. Technology (3.75) Greenville, Pa. Rob Martine, Drexel C Jr. Business (3.46) Cherry Hill, N.J. Scott Bacon, Towson INF Jr. Bus. Administration (3.47) Elkton, N.J. Brian Leighton, Seton Hall INF Sr. Health & Phys. Ed (3.34) Brewster, N.J. Jason Startari, Duquesne INF Jr. Liberal Arts (3.39) Pittsburgh, Pa. Matt Tambellini, Lafayette INF So. Bus/Economics (3.80) Millville, N.J. Justin Godusky, St. Joseph's OF Jr. Marketing (3.62) Macungie, Pa. Jimmy Kittelberger, Towson OF Sr. Bus. Administration (3.37) Mendham, N.J. Mike Ritz, Bucknell OF Sr. Finance (3.46) Old Tappan, N.J. Adam Brown, Delaware St. DH So. Bus. Administration (3.76) Wilmington, Del.
