Atlantic Sun Conference Release

MACON, Ga. – Redshirt freshman Taylor Allum and junior Travis Bergen of the Kennesaw State baseball team earned selections on the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Academic All-Conference team, the league announced Monday (May 18) afternoon.

"It says a lot about them as individuals and that they are the definition of a true student-athlete," head coach Mike Sansing said. "It's a tremendous honor to have them receive the award and recognition for their hard work in the classroom."

Allum, who owns a 3.43 GPA in business management, has been a major factor in the Owls' lineup throughout the season. He has played in 39 of the 54 possible games while making 33 starts. Not only did Allum play extremely well over the course of the 54-game slate, the outfielder raised his level of play in A-Sun play in 19 games.

The redshirt freshman, who hails from Grayson, Georgia, batted an incredible .415 while compiling 27 hits, five doubles, one home run and 10 RBI in conference action. For the season, Allum ranked second on the team with a .320 batting average, while totaling 39 hits, eight doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI.

Bergen, a left-handed pitcher who hails from McDonough, Georgia, was a unanimous selection with a 3.49 GPA while studying business management. He was one of the main catalyst Kennesaw State's weekend rotation, compiling a 6-3 overall record on the hill.

In addition, Bergen ranked sixth in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 2.87 ERA and ranked second in the conference with 82 strikeouts. Just one of two Owl pitchers to make 13 starts on the mound, Bergen held opponents to an impressive .229 average while issuing just 27 walks in a conference-leading 94.0 innings on the hill. In fact, Bergen totaled 10 starts tossing 7.0 innings or more, and totaled two complete games.

The lefthander recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts against USC Upstate on March 28 and followed that outing with a four-hit, complete game shutout over Northern Kentucky on April 11 for arguably his best stretch of the season

"For both of them to maintain the required GPA while playing and traveling is something to be proud of. It can be a grind at times and to keep up with their academics like they did says a lot," Sansing said.

Kennesaw State will turn back around and take on North Florida in the opening round of the 2015 Atlantic Sun Tournament at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20 in Fort Myers, Florida. The Owls (28-26, 10-10) will enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed, while UNF (42-14, 16-5) will enter the week as the No. 1 seed. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3 at Swanson Stadium. For more tournament information, visit atlanticsun.org or KSUOwls.com for more details.

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
  
2015 Atlantic Sun Baseball Academic All-Conference Team
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ian Martinez-McGraw, Lipscomb
 
Academic All-Conference Team
*Ian Martinez-McGraw | Lipscomb | Sr. | P ueblo, Colo. |  3.68  |  Psychology
*Travis Bergen | Kennesaw State  |  Jr. |   McDonough, Ga. |  3.48 |   Business Management
 *Adam Lee | Lipscomp  |  Jr. |  Franklin, Tenn. | 3.65  |  Psychology
 *Trent Higginbothem  | North Florida  |  Sr. |  Pensacola, Fla. |  3.50  |  Health Science
 *Patrick Mazeika  |  Stetson  |  Jr. |  Wilbraham, Mass. |  3.60  |  Sport Business
 Nathan Disch  |  Jacksonville  |  So. |  Appleton, Wis. |  3.90  |  Accounting
 Garrett Ruckel  |  Jacksonville  |  Sr. |  Jacksonville, Fla. |  3.79  |  Mathematics
 Taylor Allum  |   Kennesaw State  |  RFr. |  Grayson, Ga. |  3.43  |  Business Management
 Jason Ziegler  |  Lipscomb  |  Sr. |  Mahomet, Ill. |  3.71  |  Corporate Marketing
 Bryan Baker  |  North Florida  |  So. | Shamilar, Fla. |  3.66  |  Chemistry
 Garrick Ferguson  |  North Florida  |  Sr. |  Jupiter, Fla. |  3.71  |  Political Science
 Cole Bauml  |  Northern Kentucky  |  Sr. |  Muenster, Saskatchewan  |  3.33  |  Organizational Leadership
 Erik Samples  |  USC Upstate  |  Sr. |  Hampton, S.C. |  3.45  |  Business Administration
*-Denotes unanimous selection