SAVANNAH, Ga. – USC Aiken’s Travis Howard was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II All-America first team on Thursday afternoon as a designated hitter.Howard’s honor by the NCBWA leaves the Bonneau, S.C. native and USC Salkehatchie transfer as a consensus first All-America selection.
The junior was also chosen to the Daktronics All-America first team and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) first team as a designated hitter.Howard joins Chris Commons (Toledo, Ohio/Findlay) of the USC Aiken men’s basketball team as the only consensus Pacer All-America selections in the 2008-09 school year Commons was a two-time consensus All-American as he also was an All-America selection by all the major basketball publications during the 2007-08 season.Overall, Howard and Commons are two of three Pacers to earn All-America plaudits thus far in the 2008-09 season as USC Aiken softball player Jessica Strickland was named an All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) in May.
The USC Aiken catcher ended her career as a three-time All-America selection.Howard is USC Aiken’s baseball’s second consecutive consensus first team All-America selection. The Daktronics National Player of the Year in 2008, Chad Jacobsen was picked first team All-America by the NCBWA, the ABCA and Daktronics in 2008 as a first baseman.The 2009 Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year, Howard captured one of the most prolific regular seasons on offense in 2009 not only in USC Aiken and Peach Belt Conference history, but in NCAA Division II history.
Howard, who was also named to the All-Peach Belt Conference first team as a designated hitter, ended the 2009 season with 103 RBIs to tie Jason Jones’ (Kennesaw State) PBC record of 103 originally set in 1998. He just missed out on tying the all-time NCAA Division II record of 104 set by Jarred McAlvain of Central Oklahoma in 1997.Howard’s proclivity to bring in runs in 2009 left him ending the year atop the NCAA Division II landscape in runs batted in and runs batted in per game. He is overall in the top 100 in NCAA Division II in 11 different offensive categories.Howard had an incredible 38 extra-base hits in the 2009 regular season, finishing the regular season with 19 home runs, 16 doubles and three triples. The power numbers helped Howard own a slugging percentage of .694.The only player to be named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week three times in 2009, Howard ended the year in the top 10 in the Peach Belt Conference in 10 different offensive categories, including hits, runs scored, home runs, doubles, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, total plate appearances, at-bats and sacrifice flies.Howard had 31 multiple hit games in 2009, finishing the year with 29 multiple RBI games, including four contests with five or more RBIs.
USC Aiken's 2009 baseball team ended the 2009 season tied with Central Missouri for 10th in the final Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division II Top 30 poll.The final ranking of 10th is the highest for the 2009 Peach Belt Conference regular season champion Pacers under reigning Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year Kenny Thomas. USC Aiken ended the 2008 season ranked 11th, while they concluded the 2005 season 12th.The ranking of 10th is also the highest in the final Collegiate Baseball poll for the Pacers since the 1993 season when the Pacers were ranked fifth in the final poll.The Pacers reached as high as No. 2 nationally in 2009 en route to their second ever Peach Belt Conference regular season championship.The regular season title was the first for the Pacers since 1994.
The Pacers also have two PBC Tournament crowns, having won the league tournament in 1992 and 1993.The Pacers' prowess during the regular season helped USC Aiken to top honors in the Southeast Region, enabling the program to host its second ever NCAA Division II Tournament regional.The Pacers advanced to the regional final for the second consecutive season before bowing out to NCAA Division II Baseball Championship semifinalist and Conference Carolinas Tournament champion Belmont Abbey in the first game of the championship round.USC Aiken (42-19) concluded its season having been a part of its fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Baseball regional.
The Pacers' 42 wins in 2009 leave the program entering the 2010 campaign with five consecutive 40-win seasons.USC Aiken has been a participant in the NCAA Division II Tournament seven times (1992, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009).
