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June 30, 2009

2009 Season - Wagle earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Recently graduated Augustana baseball standout John Wagle (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, it was announced today. Wagle, one of the most prolific hitters in Viking history, was one of just six baseball players, and the only one in NCAA Division III, to receive the award for spring sports. There were 29 male athletes honored in the spring sports of baseball, golf, lacrosse, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Of those 29 honorees, there were 10 who came from the ranks of division III.

The NCAA postgraduate scholarship program selected a total of 58 winners in the spring sports (29 women and 29 men) to receive a one-time, non-renewable grant of $7,500.00. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

Wagle graduated in May with degrees in physics and business management and he carried a grade point average of 3.42. His name is plastered all over the Augustana baseball record book. An NCAA Division III All-American in 2008 and a pre-season All-American selection in 2009 by D3baseball.com, Wagle holds the Vikings career school record for runs-batted-in with 154 and the single season school marks for home runs (11 in 2008) and RBI (60 in 2008).

He is on the top-ten list in nine career offensive categories. Besides his school record for RBI, he is second in at-bats (653), hits (243) and triples (12). He ranks third in doubles with 43 and fifth in runs scored with 142. His name also shows up in home runs (tied for fifth with 17), stolen bases (eighth with 38) and batting average (eighth at .372).

In addition to his single season school record for home runs and runs-batted-in, Wagle is second in hits with 80 in 2008. He is also fifth in hits with 70 from the 2007 season. He has three of the top ten seasons in terms of at-bats. His 191 at-bats in 2008 is tied for fourth and he is fifth with his number of 186 in 2007. The 176 at-bats he had in 2009 is 10 th on the single season listing. He ranks tied for third in triples with five (2008), tied for fifth in runs scored with 52 (2008) and tied for seventh in doubles with 15 (2008). He was twice named to the American Baseball Coaches Association all-region team and he earned All-American honors as a junior.

Wagle, who batted .330 with 58 hits in 176 bats this spring, was a three time first team all-conference selection in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. He led the CCIW in at-bats this past spring with 94 in conference play and in total plate appearances with 101.

John is the son of Carol Lewis of Rock Island, Illinois. Earlier this spring he was named to the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) academic all-district team, which is sponsored by ESPN – The Magazine.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Augustana has had a long history of producing NCAA Postgraduate Scholars as Wagle becomes the 23 rd Viking athlete to win the honor.

AUGUSTANA ATHLETES WHO HAVE EARNED NCAA POST GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS