May 8, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Senior pitcher Neil Schenk was named to the ESPN The Magazine /CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team as selected by members of CoSIDA the organization announced on Thursday. As a First Team selection, Schenk will now be included on the national Academic All-America® ballot.

Schenk, who graduated last week with a 3.88 GPA in Foreign Languages with a concentration in Spanish, has showcased an outstanding balance in both academics and athletics. The southpaw is having the strongest season of his four-year collegiate career and leads the staff with a 3.21 ERA in a staff-high 17 appearances as the Tigers' top middle-to-late relief option out of the bullpen this year. He has 36 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work and hold opposing hitters to a staff-low .228 batting average.

As the top reliever this season, Schenk notched his first career save after tossing a scoreless inning of relief in a 10-7 win over UT-Martin back on February 27. He claimed his lone win of the year on April 23, when he held Middle Tennessee to just one hit in 4.1 innings of relief.

Academically, Schenk was named the University of Memphis Male Scholar Athlete of the 2007-08 school year. He has been a Dean's List student, as well as a member of the Tiger 3.0 Club, C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal from 2004-08. He was a member of the Tiger Academic 30 from 2004-06 and again in the 2007 and 2008 spring semesters.

The Briarcrest Christian High School product is the second Memphis baseball player in as many years to earn First Team accolades, as Michael Murray hauled in the honors in 2007.

Schenk and the Tigers are in action in Hattiesburg, Miss., this weekend for a three-game set versus Southern Miss.