Baseball | 5/7/2010 12:25:10 PM

ROCHESTER, NY - Junior second baseman Justin Smith (Livonia, NY/Livonia), a member of the RIT baseball team, earned 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District I Region first team honors on Friday.  Selections are made based on a combination of academic and athletic excellence.  Smith, a biomedical sciences major, has a tremendous 3.89 grade-point average.  Since Smith is a first team selection, he is eligible to become an Academic All-American.  That will be announced later in the month.  

Smith is enjoying a great season for the Tigers in 2010, having played in and started all 32 games at second base, while serving as the lead-off hitter.  He is batting .325 with team-best totals of 41 hits, 35 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in just 16 attempts.  In addition, Smith hit his first two collegiate home runs and has 17 runs batted in to go along with four doubles and a triple. 

Smith is fourth all-time at RIT with 40 career stolen bases.  He needs five more steals to break the record.  Last year, Smith tied the single-season record by stealing 23 bases.

Ryan Tryt (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) was RIT's last Academic All-American, earning that prestigious honor in 2007 and 2008.

The Tigers are currently 16-16 and travel to Ithaca for a pair of doubleheaders this weekend.