Athletes, teams earn academic recognition at PJC

Published or Revised August 06, 2015

Two Paris Junior College baseball players received Academic All American recognition from the National Junior College Athletic Association, which also recognized PJC's baseball and softball teams as qualifiers for 2014-15 NJCAA Academic Teams. Austin McDaniel, who came to PJC from Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, received the Pinnacle Nomination of Academic Excellence for his performance of earning a 4.0 in his four semesters at PJC. The 2015 PJC graduate transferred to the US Air Force Academy to complete his degree in engineering. Jake Oden, from Pine Tree High School in Longview earned the Exemplary Academic Achievement for earning above a 3.6 GPA during his four semesters at PJC. Jake will transfer to Texas Tech University this fall to continue his pursuit of a law degree. The PJC men’s baseball team had a cumulative 3.19 GPA and the women’s softball team had a cumulative 3.18 GPA. “These achievements are another indication of the strong performance our athletes put forth both on the field and in the classroom at PJC,” said PJC Athletic Director and Baseball Coach Deron Clark. “The institution and its faculty should share in this success as all parties involved have worked very hard in the pursuit of these dreams.” “Achieving high academic success is a great representation of what PJC softball is about,” said PJC Softball Coach Angel Castro. “These young women have high standards both in the classroom and on the field. Our coaching staff is very proud of what they have accomplished this season.”