(Posted May 15, 2001)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Two Juniata College student-athletes were named to the Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) All-Academic Team for their respective spring sports. Sophomore Lauren Baker (Susquehannock/Spring Grove), a member of the softball team, and sophomore Steve Brink (Central Columbia/Nescopeck) were both recognized for their athletic and academic achievements by the conference. To earn a spot on the squads, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, a starter or an important reserve, and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.40 on a 4.0 scale.

Baker, a left fielder on the blue and gold softball team, posted her second straight .300-plus batting average for Juniata. This past spring, she finished with a .312 plate mark to rank fourth among the regulars in the lineup. Baker started and played in 27 of the team's 28 games and she had 29 hits during 93 at-bats, including four doubles and a home run. She paced the unit with four sacrifice bunts from her number-two spot in the lineup and she swiped four bases on five attempts. She had nine multi-hit showings during the season and a seven-game hitting streak in the middle of the year. Baker is studying French/English at Juniata and has a 3.81 grade-point average.

The Juniata softball team completed the 2001 season with a 12-15-1 record, which marked the most wins for an Eagle unit since the 1986 and 1987 squads set the program for victories in a campaign (13). Coach Kathy Ziga's team went 4-10 in the Commonwealth Conference, which is an improvement from last spring's 0-14 mark in the loop.

Brink, a relief pitcher for the Juniata diamond squad, led the Eagles in appearances with 18. He completed the season with a 3-0 record and a 7.01 earned-run average. He tossed 25 2/3 innings and gave up 20 earned runs, 11 walks and 35 hits. Brink struck out nine. His first win of the year came when he threw 2/3 of an inning against Bluffton on March 8 and allowed no hits, runs or walks. Brink recorded his second victory of the campaign when he shutdown an Elizabethtown rally on April 14. He posted his final triumph of 2001 with four innings of relief work against Division II Indiana (Pa.) on April 24 when he struck out a season-high three. Brink, who owns a 3.49 GPA, is a computer science major.

The Juniata baseball squad ended the year with an 18-18-1 overall mark and an 8-6 record in the Commonwealth Conference to finish second in the loop. The Eagles made their first appearance in the conference playoffs since 1998 and went 1-2 in the post-season tourney.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.