Florida A&M University News July 7, 2016 FAMU Sluggers Score Big in Academics Hitting the books scored several home runs academically for members of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) baseball team. Nine members of the University's team were selected for the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball All-Academic team. The MEAC recognizes student-athletes with a 3.0 or better grade point average, who have been enrolled at their respective university for at least one year. The team includes the names of 91 athletes throughout the conference deemed qualified to receive recognition. Among FAMU's honorees are Hunter Fillingim, Brandon Fleming, Peter Jackson, Kenneth McDonald, David Ogilvie, Richard Page, Logan Seymour, Cameron Sims and Kendal Weeks. Head Coach Jamey Shouppe credited the success of his athletes to the rigorous academic standards set in place and enforced by assistant coaches Anthony Robinson and Bryan Henry. "The majority of the credit belongs to those two gentlemen because they are the ones who are monitoring and making sure the players are going to class," Shouppe said. "Every day we stress the importance of academics, you don't go to class, you don't play. It's just that simple," he added. Thanks to support from the University administration, Shouppe believes, the ability to limit the number of away games on the team's schedule has also played a key role in the team's academic success. "Our administration has allowed us to get more teams to come here rather than us going on the road, and now our kids are home more than half of the schedule. That means our kids stay in the classroom more and are here for study hall, Shouppe said. In addition to attending regular classes baseball players are required by the University to attend at least eight hours of study hall each week during the fall semester and six in the spring during baseball season. Conference Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas praised the hard work and sacrifices that contributed to the high performance of the athletes selected for the academic team. "On behalf of the conference, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of our baseball student-athletes who have maintained a 3.0 or better grade point average during the academic school year," Thomas said. "I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the institutional and athletic academic support staffs, the coaches and of course the parents who all played a vital role in the success of the student-athletes," he added. Earning the support of parents is an important part of the team's recruitment process according to Shouppe. "You don't just recruit the players, you recruit the parents. They are here to play baseball and to get a degree, so their parents are entrusting us to make sure they leave here with an education. The parents understand that baseball is coming to an end one day and you better have a degree to fall back on," he said. A total of 14 of the team's 35 players boast GPA's of 3.0 or better for a combined team GPA of 2.92. "That's what it's all about. When you make sure your kids graduate, you're positively affecting the future of this country. Our desire is that all of our kids leave here with a degree," Shouppe said. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) 404-577-5158 (fax) Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/ 7th Biennial Membership Meeting: Register here http://hbculibraries.org/html/2016meeting-form.html for the October 10,11 Membership Meeting in Atlanta. [Sized Coming Soon]NEW DIGS!!!! The HBCU Library Alliance is relocating to the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library. Transition process is near completion. Stay tuned!!! Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314-4207 www.auctr.edu Honor the ancestors, honor the children.