Beggs, Hairston Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team

LEXINGTON, Ky. –  The 2016 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Baseball Teams were released on Thursday afternoon, with Kentucky seniors Dustin Beggs and Dorian Hairston being named to the District 2 team.

First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.

Beggs, a senior right-handed pitcher from Roswell, Ga., was named to the team with a 3.69 GPA as an Integrated Strategic Communications major. Beggs, a weekend rotation pitcher for the Wildcats, has made 11 starts this season with a 7-1 record. His 2.79 ERA marks the best of the team’s starting pitchers. Beggs has worked 77.1 innings this season, allowing 55 hits and 24 earned runs while striking out 63 hitters. The senior has held opponents to just .196 hitting when he takes the mound. Additionally, Beggs was named the 2016 Tony Gwynn Classic Most Outstanding Pitcher and named Mid-Season First-Team All-America by Perfect Game. He is the first player in UK history to win his first seven starts of a season and ranks top 10 in program history in career ERA, career win-loss percentage and single-season wins. Beggs was also an SEC Academic Honor-Roll recipient last season.  

Hairston, a senior outfielder from Lexington, Ky., earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors with a 3.87 GPA as an English major at UK. Hairston has played in 32 games for the Wildcats in 2016, batting .267 on the season with 19 hits and 12 RBI while scoring eight runs. The Tates Creek High School product has homered four times in 2016 and added a pair of doubles. Hairston matched his career-best 3 RBI earlier this season against Florida on March 26. Hairston played in 97 career games with 67 career hits, 41 RBI, and 36 runs scored. Hairston is a model student-athlete that is active in the Affrilachian Poet Society and has had several pieces of poetry published. He also is a three-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. 

CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America program in the 1950’s, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports and across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America scholar-athlete honors. Currently, CoSIDA honors Academic All-Americans in 12 sports

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games. In baseball and softball, pitchers must have at least 10.0 innings pitched. Athletes who have not participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests are not eligible.

For more information on the Kentucky baseball team, follow @UKBaseball on Twitter and Facebook or visit UKathletics.com.