Gagnon, Haley, Maoz Named To PBC All-Academic Team

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The postseason honors began to roll in for the UNCP baseball team on Thursday afternoon as Max Gagnon, Josh Haley and Eitan Maoz were among 26 student-athletes named to the Peach Belt Conference Baseball All-Academic Team.

The team is part of a season-long program recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of PBC student-athletes in the classroom as well as on the field. To be eligible for the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team's events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution. The Peach Belt Conference Sports Information Directors oversee and select the teams.

The announcement marked the fourth-straight season the Braves have been represented on the squad, and the third time in the last four years the Black & Gold has sent multiple representatives to the listing. It is the second-such honor for Haley who also earned the accolade last year, while Gagnon and Maoz take home the laurel for the first time.

Gagnon, a sophomore from Raleigh, maintains a 3.42 cumulative grade point average as an Exercise & Sports Science major at UNC Pembroke. He played in 34 games (32 starts) for the Braves this season and turned in a .286 (32-for-112) batting average with six extra-base hits (3 HR), 16 RBI and 20 runs scored, while also registering a .996 fielding percentage as the starting catcher for the Braves.

Haley, a Jackson Springs product, started all 49 games and led the Braves with a .391 (77-for-197) batting average to go along with 19 extra-base hits (3 HR), 16 RBI and a team-best 61 runs scored. A force on the base paths, the senior ranked second in the PBC with 34 stolen bases (39 attempts) and also booked a .523 slugging percentage and a .474 on-base percentage. Defensively, he was solid from his starting centerfield position as well where he turned in a .985 fielding percentage.

Maoz, a native of Canada, played in 38 games (37 starts) for UNCP and missed 2-1/2 weeks late in the season with a broken ankle. Regardless, the utility player still managed a .348 (48-for-138) batting average with 10 extra-base hits (3 HR), 32 RBI and 28 runs scored. He also scored 80 percent (8-for-10) on stolen base attempts, while also registering a .464 slugging percentage and a .421 on-base percentage. He, too, was a defensive stalwart, booking a .984 fielding percentage in a handful of starts in the outfield, as well as first base.

Click here to visit the All-Academic Team page.

2012 Baseball All-Academic Team

Honorable Mention: Austin Dubberly, Montevallo; Tyler Daniel, Georgia Southwestern; Max Gagnon, UNC Pembroke; Justin Appel, Augusta State; Kip Custer, Augusta State; Jarrod Taylor, Georgia Southwestern