WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.Ā ā As an ace of the pitching staff while continuing to excel academically to the tune of a 4.0 semester in the classroom, Purdue baseball's Jackson Smeltz has been recognized with Academic All-District honors again.
Smeltz was honored for the second year in a row, maintaining a 3.68 grade-point through the 2022 fall semester while majoring in agribusiness (farm management). That's a mark that went up to 3.70 with his 4.0 this spring. Last year he became the team's first Academic All-District performer since 2012. Now he has joined Rod Metzler (1995-97) as the program's only multi-year honorees.
Smeltz was one of two pitchers and 11 total players voted onto the Academic All-District Team from District Five, which features universities based in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. He advances to the national ballot from which the Academic All-America teams are selected.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) nominate and select the Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams. To be eligible for the All-District ballot, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.30 GPA and be at least a sophomore academically.
Troy Viola and Smeltz both earned 4.0 GPAs in the classroom during the spring semester, leading the way as Purdue maintained a cumulative team GPA of 3.09. They were among the 23 players with a 3.0-plus mark, including 10 at 3.5-plus. Smeltz was among the eight players to receive their diplomas in Tuesday's commencement ceremony at Alexander Field.
The lefty's breakout campaign has seen him dominate hitters to the tune of 79 strikeouts vs. 40 hits allowed in 57 1/3 innings pitched. His marks of 12.40 strikeouts per nine innings and 6.28 hits per nine innings are both top-10 marks in team history for pitchers with at least 30 innings. The K/9 mark is in line to eclipse a program record that has stood since 1965.
When Smeltz beat Penn State in Happy Valley on April 15, he became Purdue's first starting pitcher to be 6-0 since Joe Haase in 2012. As the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year that season, Haase had also been the Boilermakers' last Academic All-District honoree prior to Smeltz.
In 87 2/3 career innings at Purdue, Smeltz has a 3.08 ERA and .215 batting average against. He has also compiled marks of 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and 6.88 hits per nine innings. Among pitchers with a minimum 75 innings, he ranks first in K/9, fourth in H/9 and fifth in ERA.
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Smeltz was honored for the second year in a row, maintaining a 3.68 grade-point through the 2022 fall semester while majoring in agribusiness (farm management). That's a mark that went up to 3.70 with his 4.0 this spring. Last year he became the team's first Academic All-District performer since 2012. Now he has joined Rod Metzler (1995-97) as the program's only multi-year honorees.
Smeltz was one of two pitchers and 11 total players voted onto the Academic All-District Team from District Five, which features universities based in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. He advances to the national ballot from which the Academic All-America teams are selected.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) nominate and select the Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams. To be eligible for the All-District ballot, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.30 GPA and be at least a sophomore academically.
Troy Viola and Smeltz both earned 4.0 GPAs in the classroom during the spring semester, leading the way as Purdue maintained a cumulative team GPA of 3.09. They were among the 23 players with a 3.0-plus mark, including 10 at 3.5-plus. Smeltz was among the eight players to receive their diplomas in Tuesday's commencement ceremony at Alexander Field.
The lefty's breakout campaign has seen him dominate hitters to the tune of 79 strikeouts vs. 40 hits allowed in 57 1/3 innings pitched. His marks of 12.40 strikeouts per nine innings and 6.28 hits per nine innings are both top-10 marks in team history for pitchers with at least 30 innings. The K/9 mark is in line to eclipse a program record that has stood since 1965.
Highlighted by his 13-strikeout, one-hit shutout of rival Indiana on April 9 that earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and National Player of the Week recognition from Collegiate Baseball, Smeltz has registered four double-figure strikeout performances this season. He became the only Boilermaker in the last 20 years with three consecutive outings with 10-plus punchouts during Purdue's 15-0 start.Proud to see our academic achievement continue with another successful semester in the classroom. #BoilerUp š
ā Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) May 12, 2022
š„ Spring 2022 Academic Bowl Winners...
ā”ļø Team @dFuruto16!!
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When Smeltz beat Penn State in Happy Valley on April 15, he became Purdue's first starting pitcher to be 6-0 since Joe Haase in 2012. As the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year that season, Haase had also been the Boilermakers' last Academic All-District honoree prior to Smeltz.
In 87 2/3 career innings at Purdue, Smeltz has a 3.08 ERA and .215 batting average against. He has also compiled marks of 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and 6.88 hits per nine innings. Among pitchers with a minimum 75 innings, he ranks first in K/9, fourth in H/9 and fifth in ERA.
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