Baseball

James Clear (left) and Justin Held (right) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first-team. Both will move on to the national ballot for a chance at Academic All-America honors.

Senior pitcher James Clear (Hamilton, Ohio/Stephen T. Badin) and junior second baseman Justin Held (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) were named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team as selected by The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  As first-team selections both individuals will move on to the ballot to name the 2008 Academic All-America squad.

Both Held and Clear were second-team All-District selections in 2007.  They were two of the main cogs in helping Denison to their fourth North Coast Athletic Conference West Division Championship and a 27-18 record in 2008.

Clear tied for the team-lead in wins with six and posted a career-best 3.33 earned run average in 11 starts.  He leaves Denison ranked fifth in career victories (15), third in appearances (52), fourth in innings pitched (200.1) and eighth in strikeouts (138).  He was a second-team All-NCAC selection in 2007 and was one of seven recipients of the Denison Presidential Medal which is the highest honor bestowed upon a graduation senior at Denison University.  Next fall Clear will be attending the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University.  He was named Denison's 2008 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and boasts a 3.77 grade point average while majoring in biomechanics.

Held made a seamless transition from center field in 2007 to second base in 2008 where he committed only four errors in 171 total chances.  He started 39 games for the Big Red and hit .314 with five doubles and 12 RBIs.  In two seasons with the Big Red he holds a career .356 batting average and has started all 76 games in which he has played.  Held has a grade point average of 3.84 and is majoring in economics.

Created in 1952 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams Program is a premier, nationwide college scholar-athlete awards program. It recognizes 816 outstanding student-athletes annually in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.