TU's Fisher Named Academic AA
TOWSON, Md. - Junior third baseman Zach Fisher (Perry Hall H.S./Baltimore, Md.) of Towson University has been named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® Division I baseball team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
An economics major with a 3.93 G.P.A., Fisher earned a berth on the third team.
A transfer from the University of Maryland, Fisher graduated in only three years, earning his B.A. degree in May.
Fisher, who played in 52 games, was the Tigers' regular third baseman all year. He had an outstanding season defensively and made only six errors in 171 fielding opportunities. He helped the Tigers set a single season fielding percentage record as they finished third in the Colonial Athletic Association with a .971 fielding mark. Fisher took part in 16 double plays.
Over the final month of the season, he led the Tigers' drive to earning a berth in the CAA Tournament. Over the final 21 games, Fisher batted .429, scored 16 runs and had 11 runs batted in. The Tigers went into the final weekend of the regular season needing to sweep a three-game series from James Madison University. Fisher batted .538 with two runs scored and three RBI's as the Tigers earned a berth in the CAA Tournament by sweeping the Dukes.
At the CAA Tournament, Fisher continued his torrid hitting. He batted an even .500 in the tournament with eight hits in 16 at bats. In three games at the CAA Tournament, he had a double, a triple and a home run. He scored five runs and drove in six runs. In a 16-8 victory over George Mason, Fisher went three-for-six with a double and a triple. He finished the season with a ten-game hitting streak.
Fisher earned a spot on the CAA's all-tournament team.
The Tigers' leading hitter with a .333 batting average, Fisher ranked among the team leaders with a .418 on-base percentage. He had 54 hits, including a team-leading 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 27 runs batted in. He was second on the team with nine sacrifice bunts and he stole five bases in six attempts.
Fisher led the Tigers with 17 multi-hit games. He had four three-hit games and 13 two-hit contests.
"This is a great honor for Zach," said Towson Coach Mike Gottlieb. "To his credit, he kept getting better as the season went on. At the start of the year, he was having a hard time defensively at third base. But, he worked at it and he played tremendous defense over the final weeks of the season.
"We wouldn't have made the CAA Tournament with Zach," he added. "I'm pretty sure of that."
The only CAA player to be named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I baseball team, Fisher is the sixth Towson baseball player to earn Academic All-America® honors since 1996.
In 1996, designated hitter James Vallillo, ‘96 became the first Tiger to earn Academic All-America® honors when he was named to the second team. In 1999, infielder Jason Rummel, '99 earned third team notice. The Tigers' all-time leading hitter, outfielder Gregg Davies, ‘02, was honored as a second team selection in 2002. In 2007, catcher Ryan Schreiter, '07 earned a spot on the third team. The following year, pitcher Jon Dupski '08 was named as a third team honoree.