Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Senior Brett Lilley could become the first Notre Dame baseball player to ever be named first team Academic All-American on more than one occasion.

 
Lilley, Gaston Named To ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team

Duo will now have a chance to be selected as Academic All-Americans.

May 8, 2008

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - University of Notre Dame baseball players Brett Lilley (North Canton, Ohio) and Sean Gaston (Brownsburg, Ind.) have been selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V baseball team. Their names will now appear on the national ballot for a chance to be voted as Academic All-Americans.

Gaston, a fifth-year senior and graduate student, matriculated from the College of Arts and Letters in May of 2007 with dual degrees in political science and history. Gaston's final cumulative grade point average was 3.40. This season, the catcher is batting .290 with seven doubles and 23 RBI. Gaston has also played near flawless defense behind the plate. In 41 games played and 38 starts, he has committed just two errors and one passed ball all season. Gaston was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team in 2006, but missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.

Lilley, a fifth-year senior, graduated from the Mendoza College of Business in May of 2007 with an accounting degree and a final cumulative grade point average of 3.74. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in accounting. This season, Lilley is hitting .298 with a team-best 56 runs scored, two home runs and 29 RBI. He has also added eight stolen bases. Lilley leads the Irish with a .470 on-base percentage and 28 walks. He not only leads the NCAA with 26 HBPs this season, but also now owns the NCAA career mark of 103. Lilley was a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in 2007.

Joining the Fighting Irish duo on the Academic All-District V squad were pitcher Eitan Barbalat (Bradley), pitcher Brian Morrell (Eastern Illinois), infielders Ryan Hastings (Illinois), Tom Steidl (Minnesota), Jake Goebbert (Northwestern), outfielders Matt Nohelty (Minnesota), Mike Kalina (Northwestern), Christopher Schmidt (Indiana State) and designated hitter Daniel Webb (Illinois).

Notre Dame (32-13-1, 15-6 BIG EAST) is second in the conference and returns to action this weekend at Frank Eck Stadium against Pittsburgh. The three-game series opens Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

-- ND --