Three Georgia State baseball players named All-Sun Belt

Release from Georgia State Athletics:

Georgia State sluggers Matt Rose, Joey Roach and Ryan Blanton earned first-team honors on the All-Sun Belt Conference baseball team, announced at Tuesday’s Family Night on the eve of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

Georgia State was also honored for having a team grade-point average of over 3.0, and nine individuals were recognized for academic excellence.

The Panthers placed three individuals on the All-Sun Belt for the second straight year, including Roach, the junior catcher and a first-team honoree for the last two seasons. He is just the fourth player in school history to earn first-earn all-conference honors more than once.

Roach, also a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, is hitting .314 with seven home runs and 39 runs batted it.

Rose, the junior first baseman, leads the league with 15 homers and 44 RBI. He is tied for 12th in the nation in home runs.

Blanton, the Panthers’ center fielder, has not played since May 1 due to injury but is the team’s leading hitter at .330 with six homers and 22 RBI. The sophomore was leading the conference in runs scored when he was injured.

Blanton and Roach were also recognized on the Commissioner’s List for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher, along with Alex Prescott, Connor Stanley and Jerry Stuckey. Kenny Anderson, Kevin Burgee, Nathan Bates and Garrett Ford were recognized on the Academic Honor Roll for a GPA of 3.0-3.49.