Loren Hibbs stresses excellence in all aspects of his student-athlete's careers. |
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Charlotte Baseball Sets Academic Records to go with Field Success in 2007
Feb. 15, 2008
Charlotte, N.C. - It was not enough that Charlotte 49ers baseball set records on the field in 2007, winning a record 49 games, the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship and a pair of NCAA postseason games, even going so far as to making the regional finals in Columbia, S.C. The Niners did not let the record setting end after the final game of the spring semester. They continued setting records into the fall, extending their efforts of excellence in the classroom.
Charlotte baseball has broken its own record for team grade point average (GPA) in each of the last six semesters, cracking the coveted 3.0 plateau with a 3.01 GPA in the fall of 2007. The team put 19 players on the three published lists (Chancellor's, Dean's and Athletic Director's Lists) in the fall semester of 2007.
Aiding in the efforts is Mark Verburg, who is Assistant Director in the Athletic Academic Center and baseball's academic advisor, personally working with each team member in their academic pursuits.
"Our guys deserve a tremendous amount of credit," said Niners head coach Loren Hibbs. "Finishing the 2007 season ranked in the top 30 and then posting a 3.0 team GPA this fall with 19 guys earning honor roll distinction is just phenomenal. Mark Verburg does a great job communicating with our players and our coaching staff. Our academic plan is solid and our players value the educational aspect of being a baseball student-athlete. I am really proud of their effort."
The athletic department as a whole outpaced the university GPA for the 23rd straight semester, including a record 3.05 GPA for all teams combined. Including baseball, five sports set team records in GPA for the fall semester of 2007.
"You would be hard-pressed to find a team in the country who had a season like Charlotte did on the field and in the classroom," said Verburg. "The team had a 49-12 record, a conference championship, an NCAA tournament berth and saw 19 team members earn a 3.0 GPA or better. Then this fall they broke another program record when they compiled their best team GPA ever earning a 3.014. I couldn't be more proud of their efforts as student-athletes."
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It is noteworthy that Charlotte's four baseball players selected for professional play in the summer of 2007 all returned and all graduated in December, keeping the team's graduation rate above 90 percent in Hibbs' 15-year tenure.
Charlotte begins a 35-game home docket next Friday, February 22, when the Niners host Manhattan for a three-game series. The Friday contest begins at 4 p.m. in the debut of the completed Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium. The 49ers will be at home the first five weekends of the season.
