NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Christopher Newport sophomore starting pitcher
Jay Cassady (Burke, Va.) was named a 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection on Thursday afternoon in recognition of his excellence on the diamond and in the classroom. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the Academic All-District Teams at Noon on Thursday, marking just the fourth time in program history a CNU baseball player has collected the honor.
Cassady joins former winners Craig Johnson (2017, 2018), Nicholas Baham (2019), and
Conner Clark (2021) as the only players in program history to garner the Academic All-District recognition. He is the fourth Captain, joining soccer players Davis Pillow, Jessica Zimmermann, and women's basketball star Sondra Fan, to earn Academic All-District honors during the 2021-22 academic year. Also recognized on Thursday were a pair of CNU softball players in Maddie Hool and Sarah Proctor, running CNU's total to six, tied for the second most in a single year.
One of the Captains' top pitchers in 2022 was one of 12 players selected as first team Academic All-District picks for District 5, which includes programs from 12 different states. He was the only sophomore selected in the region and carries a 3.85 cumulative GPA as a Finance major.
On the mound this season, Cassady has twirled a record-breaking campaign with 85 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched. That marks the highest rate of strikeouts per nine innings (12.97) in program history among pitchers with at least 45 innings pitched. He has a 6-3 record with one save and a 2.44 ERA this season and has posted double-digit strikeouts in six of his nine starts. He ranks in the top-30 nationally in total strikeouts and was named a first team All-Conference SP earlier in the day on Thursday.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America and All-District teams are the longest-running and most prestigious academic and athletic award for student-athletes. Cassady will now be nominated among the rest of the first team All-District selections for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. All nominees must have a GPA of 3.30 or above and be a starter or important reserve.
Earlier in the year, Cassady set a Captains Park record for strikeouts with a career-high 15 over seven innings of shutout ball against Susquehanna. He also struck out 13 in a home game against Hampden-Sydney on March 7 and recorded 10 or more on four other occasions. Cassady was also on the hill in CNU's win over top-ranked Marietta College on February 25, handing the Pioneers one of only three losses this season with a six-inning quality start.
Cassady's ERA has not risen above 2.50 at any point this season and the southpaw has limited baserunners all season long. His WHIP is 1.08 for the season and he has held opponents to a .228 batting average against. In two seasons as a member of the pitching staff, Cassady boasts a 3.21 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 103.2 innings pitched.
View complete list of 2021-22 Academic All-District Selections (PDF)
Cassady and the rest of the CNU baseball team will open postseason action on Friday with a first pitch scheduled against #3-seed Mary Washington at Noon. All Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament games will be played at top-seeded Salisbury University. Links to live stats and video will be available at CNUsports.com.
