Tusculum Graduate Rakes Earns CCA Regional Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Former Tusculum baseball student-athlete Taylor Rakes has been selected as the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association Southeast Region Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2012-13, it was announced on Wednesday.
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Former Tusculum baseball student-athlete Taylor Rakes has been selected as the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association Southeast Region Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2012-13, it was announced on Wednesday.
The award highlights the extraordinary achievements, both on and off the field, of Division II student-athletes. A total of eight male and eight female student-athletes across the country earned the regional distinctions.
"Division II prides itself on the overall balance it allows student-athletes to practice in their daily lives, between athletics, academics, campus affairs and social events," said DII CCA President Steve Murray. "These nominees are the perfect example of student-athletes who have figured out this balance and have excelled both academically and athletically."
Rakes, the 2012-13 SAC Presidents Award and 2013 SAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winner, graduated with a business and economics degree in 2012 with a 3.89 GPA. His eligibility extended into the 2013 baseball season, during which time he pursued a master's degree at TC.
Rakes was a member of the All-SAC Second Team, the SAC Gold Glove Team, the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Second Team and the NCBWA All-Southeast Region Third Team in 2013. He won seven games for Tusculum, which tied for the fourth-most in the conference. The left hander also tied for third in strikeouts with 84 and ranked seventh in ERA at 2.82.
Off the field, Rakes was an active member of Tusculum's student-athlete advisory committee, helping lead the group's efforts with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He also took part in the St. Baldrick's "Basebald" cancer research fundraiser, and is a former SAC Student-Athlete Leadership Conference participant.
"Taylor represented our conference extraordinarily well while a student-athlete at Tusculum, and we're proud to have him to continue doing so through this award," said SAC commissioner Patrick Britz. "He embodies everything the DII CCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year award represents."
The male and female national Scholar-Athletes of the Year will be announced next week.