Leake named top Academic All-American
<p> Arizona State University junior pitcher <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/leake_mike00.html">Mike Leake</a> has been named the Academic All-American of the Year, ESPN The Magazine and CoSIDA announced today. This is the third time in school history a Sun Devil has been named the Academic All-American of the Year for baseball. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/myers_casey00.html">Ca… Myers</a> earned the distinction in both 2000 and 2001.</p><separator></separator><p>Leake (Fallbrook, Calif.) has a 3.42 grade point average as a Management major and earlier this month was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII for the second straight year. He is the 12th Academic All-American in program history and the seventh under head coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/murphy_pat00.html">Pat Murphy</a>. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/paramore_petey00.html"… Paramore</a> was a Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in 2008.</p><separator></separator><p>"This is another great example of how truly special this young man is," said head coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/murphy_pat00.html">Pat Murphy</a>. "Not only is he a dominant pitcher and a team leader, but he leads by example in the classroom as well. We have been extremely lucky to have him in our program over the past three years."</p><separator></separator><p>Leake, the team co-captain, is 14-1 so far this season, throwing six complete games and two shutouts. He sports a 1.24 ERA and has struck out 128 batters while walking only 18. The 14 wins and 128 strikeouts both lead the Pac-10 and are career highs. He has been named a Finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award and was the 2008 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year. Leake was the only student-athlete from the Pac-10 to earn Academic All-American honors.</p><separator></separator><p>Leake and the Sun Devils will host the Tempe Regional beginning Friday at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. ASU will take on Kent State following the Oral Roberts vs. Cal Poly match-up.<br /></p>