GSC honors Koenigsfeld

VALDOSTA, Jun 24, 2009 (The Valdosta Daily Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GSTH | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Valdosta State junior baseball player Jon Koenigsfeld has received the second-highest honor awarded by the Gulf South Conference as the shortstop was named to the GSC's "Top Ten" list as one of the league's 10 best all-around student-athletes.

The GSC "Top Ten" Award recognizes the top five male and top five female student-athletes in the conference, based on athletic, academic and extracurricular achievement. As one of the "Top Ten," Koenigsfeld, who was the only non-senior male and one of only three non-seniors to make the list, becomes eligible for the Commissioner's Trophy as the top male student-athlete in the Gulf South Conference.

Koenigsfeld batted .328 with 33 runs batted in and 50 runs scored during the 2008 season while starting 62 of the Blazers' 63 games. He helped the squad to a 43-21 record and an appearance in the NCAA South Regional, where he was named to the All-South Region Tournament squad. Koenigsfeld was a second-team All-GSC team member in 2007 after leading VSU with a .349 batting average.

A native of New Port Richey, Fla., Koenigsfeld is even more spectacular in the classroom where he holds a perfect 4.00 grade point average as a Middle Grades Education major. He has earned VSU Male Student-Athlete Academic Award winner honors in both of his years with the Blazers and is also a two-time member of the GSC All-Academic team, including a unanimous selection in 2009.

"Simply put, Jon is a model scholar-athlete," said Scott Grubbs, Program Coordinator in the Department of Middle, Secondary, Reading and Deaf Education at Valdosta State. "Not only does he demonstrate outstanding performance academically, Jon leads both inside and outside of the classroom by modeling the high standards expected by the department and the university. In addition to his academic and athletic activities, Jon is involved in helping others through his community service and I feel that I may speak for my colleagues when I say that we in Middle, Secondary, Reading and Deaf Education are very proud of all that Jon accomplishes."

Koenigsfeld is also active in community service as he tallied nearly 20 hours during the 2008-09 school year. In addition to helping with the Annual Blazer Build for Habitat for Humanity, he has also volunteered at the Valdosta State baseball Special Needs Awareness Day and helped assemble a new playground at Crossroads Baptist Church.

"Jon embodies all the qualities that we think of with a student-athlete," Blazer head coach Greg Guilliams said. "He excels in the classroom with a 4.00 GPA while also excelling on the field in his play and as a role model for his peers. His leadership and work ethic are unmatched."

The Commissioner's Trophy winner will be announced at the Gulf South Conference's Annual Award's Banquet Thursday evening at in Pensacola. Koenigsfeld's competition for the GSC's Top male student-athlete includes: Christian Brothers cross country runner Stephen Hill, West Florida soccer player Nolan Intermoia, Southern Arkansas baseball player James Schroeder and North Alabama basketball player Kenny Johnson.

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