AUSTIN, Texas – For the first time in program history, Tennessee baseball had two representatives selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America teams, which were announced on Wednesday afternoon.
SEC graduates Evan Russell and Luc Lipcius were named to the first and second teams, respectively. The Vols have now had eight different players earn 12 total Academic All-America honors.
Russell is making his second appearance on COSIDA’s Academic All-America Teams after garnering third-team recognition back in 2019. The Lexington, Tennessee, native earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance in 2021 and boasts a 4.00 GPA in his Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication graduate program.
After making a position change this offseason to catcher, Russell has also been outstanding at the plate, posting the best slash line of his career at .303/.408/.606. He is just two hits away from 200 in his career at Tennessee and set the career games played record last game, appearing in his 230th contest as a Vol. The backstop has posted the best offensive season of his career, collecting 57 knocks and driving in 44 while posting numerous season-best totals.
This marks the first Academic All-America selection for Lipcius after earning Academic All-District honors in each of the past three seasons. The Virginia native earned his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and is currently working towards an MBA and engineering graduate degree.
Lipcius achieved a 3.34 GPA in his undergraduate work and boasts an impressive 3.96 graduate GPA. On the field, the veteran first baseman has played every game but one for the Vols and is batting .312 with career highs in home runs (16), runs scored (66), hits (58), doubles (11) and walks (58).
-UT Athletics
