Springfield, Mass. -- May 6, 2011 -- John Schmaltz of the Springfield College baseball team has been named a Capital One First Team Academic All-District player for the 2011 season.Schmaltz had a great season for the Pride, both athletically and academically. He wound up batting .390 as an outfielder. He also had finished with a 3.84 GPA in sport management.
In the past week or so, Schmaltz has been honored several times. Last Sunday, he was honored by the Springfield College athletic community. That night, in Blake Arena, he was named the SC Male Multi-Sport Award winner for his combined efforts in football and baseball in 2010-2011.
During the past week, the senior from Cromwell, Conn. was named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference All-Conference Second Team. He was then named NEWMAC All-Academic (requires a minimum 3.50 GPA). And now, he has been named a First Team Academic All-District performer.
John led his team in batting average (.390), at-bats (141), hits (55), runs (17), doubles (6), home runs (2), RBI's (26), total bases (67), slugging percentage (.472), and on-base percentage (.442).
In the earliest part of the season, during SC's Spring Break trip to Phoenix, Ariz., Schmaltz strung together 12 straight hits in 12 consecutive at-bats. It was the fourth-longest hitting streak in Division III history. John also struck out a mere five times in 157 plate appearances, making him one of the toughest batters to strike out in America.
Former Springfield College standout Mark Simeone will enter his 18th season as the head baseball coach at his alma mater in 2014. The 2012 NEWMAC Coach of the Year, Simeone will lead a veteran squad this spring. Read more.