Danny Powers named first-team Academic All-American

At the rate he’s going, Danny Powers is going to have to add a new wing to his home to accommodate all his awards. The Central Missouri State University senior righthander was announced today as a first-team selection on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division Baseball Team.

Powers, a 6-foot-1, 195 pound pitcher from Carl Junction, Mo., is a secondary education/social studies major with a 3.86 grade-point average. Named Monday as the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association Division II Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year, he boasts a record of 15-1 with a 1.86 earned run average in 17 starts. He has 127 strikeouts against just 24 walks in 106 1/3 innings pitched. This season, Powers has established new CMSU and MIAA records for wins and tied the school and conference marks with four shutouts. He also is the new Mules’ single-season and career record holder for strikeouts with 127 and 275, respectively.

Powers and his teammates are in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II National Championships in Montgomery, Ala. Powers got his record-setting 15^th win on Saturday when the Mules defeated Florida Southern College 5-2 in the opening round of the tournament.