Trojans earn Academic All-District honors

Published 10:41 am Wednesday, May 17, 2023

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A total of nine Troy University softball and baseball players were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team on Tuesday.

From the baseball team, senior second baseman Donovan Whibbs, junior first baseman William Sullivan, sophomore pitcher Keaton Fuller and senior outfielder Hudson Hartsfield all earned Academic All-District.

Sullivan, an Orlando, Fla., native, recently graduated from Troy and carried a 3.733 GPA in exercise science, pre-health profession. He’s also one of the Trojans’ top batters and infielders. His .328 batting average leads the Trojans, while his 16 home runs ranks second and his .672 slugging percentage is second. He also holds the school record for hit-by-pitches. Sullivan also has a team-high 35 double plays with 333 putouts, 20 assists and a .975 fielding percentage on the defensive end. His double plays rank third in the Sun Belt and putouts rank ninth.

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Meanwhile, Whibbs has maintained a 3.78 GPA in general management at Troy. His 10 homers this season is a career-high for the Pensacola, Fla., native and his eight triples is the eighth most in school history. Whibbs also holds a .978 fielding percentage with 10 double plays, 44 putouts and 46 assists.

Hartsfield graduated from Troy this week with a biology/biomedical sciences degree. He maintained a 3.605 GPA in the classroom. On the field, the Birmingham native has a .349 batting average with 16 runs and eight RBIs. He also boasts a .975 fielding percentage with 39 putouts.

Fuller is also a biology/biomedical sciences major and currently holds a 3.509 GPA. The Fairhope native has pitched 10 and 1/3 innings this season and holds a 1-0 record on the season. He’s struck out 10 batters in his eight appearances on the mound.

Representing the softball team on the Academic All-District team is senior second baseman Kelly Horne, junior first baseman Audra Thompson, junior outfielder Anslee Finch, sophomore outfielder Emma Grace Walker and junior outfielder Jade Sinness.

Horne boasts a 3.85 GPA as a sports management major. On the field, she’s also one of the most decorated Trojans. The Tallahassee, Fla., native, earned her third career All-Sun Belt honor this season. Horne is also a two-time NFCA All-South Region honoree and this is her second appearance on the Academic All-District team. Horne’s .298 batting average was fourth on the team, while she also hit four home runs, a team-high 33 walks, scored 13 runs and earned 25 RBIs. She also boasted a .982 fielding percentage with 34 putouts and 22 assists at second base.

Sinness holds a 3.87 GPA in accounting. While this is her first Academic All-District honor, she has plenty of on-the-field honors. She’s a two-time All-Sun Belt representative and also earned NFCA All-South Region in 2021. This season, the Sebring, Fla., native, held a .288 batting average with three homers, eight doubles, 38 runs and 25 RBIs. She is also one of just six Trojans with a perfect fielding percentage. She, however, is the only Trojan to earn a perfect fielding percentage with more than 10 chances. She tallied 88 putouts, five assists and two double plays on the season.

Finch holds a 3.92 GPA in biomedical sciences in the classroom, and on the field she boasted a .327 batting average with 10 doubles, two triples and eight home runs this season. In the outfield, the Geneva native earned a .976 fielding percentage with 44 putouts, three assists and two double plays.

Walker holds a 3.88 GPA in K-6 education and the Kennesaw, Ga., native earned a .176 batting average this season with nine runs. She also boasted a perfect fielding percentage with three putouts.

Thompson earned a .243 batting average this season with three home runs, 23 runs and 17 RBIs. She also boasted a .976 fielding percentage with 102 putouts, 63 assists and a team-high 10 double plays on defense.