AIKEN, S.C. – University of South Carolina Aiken baseball student-athletes Ty Barkell, Bill Gerstenslager and Ryan Milewski have been chosen to the Capital One Academic NCAA Division II Baseball District Three First-Team. 

The Capital One Academic All-America program is selected by CoSIDA.

As First-Team members, Barkell, Gerstenslager and Milewski are now eligible for Academic All-America consideration. The Capital One Academic NCAA Division II Baseball All-America team is scheduled to be unveiled on Thursday, May 30, 2013.

The trio all received the academic honor for the first time in their careers.

Barkell (Denver, Colo./Palmer Ridge HS) is hitting .361 (75-for-208) for the nationally top-ranked Pacers entering the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. He is leading the Pacers and is in the top-10 in the league with 51 RBIs on the year thus far. The sophomore first baseman has collected 118 total bases this season and scored 42 runs to go along with 24 extra-base hits (13 doubles, eight home runs and three triples). 

In addition to his prowess at the dish, which also includes 21 multiple hit games and 13 multiple RBI games, Barkell is leading the PBC in putouts with 444. He is in the top-15 in the PBC in fielding percentage (.994). 

In the classroom, Barkell boasts a 3.786 grade point average as a Business Administration major.

Gerstenslager (Solon, Ohio/Mercyhurst) is presently leading the No. 1 Pacers with a team-best .387 (75-for-194) batting average. He is currently leading the Pacers and the Peach Belt Conference with 21 doubles on the 2013 season. The 21 doubles are currently third-most in the nation.

Gerstenslager is leading USC Aiken with 29 extra-base hits on the year on the 21 doubles, six home runs and two triples. He has collected 118 bases and scored 50 runs to go along with his 50 RBIs. The senior designated hitter has 16 multiple RBI games in the 2013 season thus far. He has 23 multiple hit games. 

In the classroom, Gerstenslager owns a 3.756 grade point average as a Business Administration major. 

A Peach Belt Conference All-Academic selection last year, Milewski (West Boylston, Mass./West Boylston HS) currently owns a 6-3 record in the 2013 season for the top-ranked Pacers. He has pitched a total of 73 innings and struck out 52. 

The 2012 All-Peach Belt Conference selection is holding his opponents to a .282 batting average in the 2013 season. 

Milewski has twice been named Peach Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week this season (March 5 and April 29).

A senior pitcher, Milewski currently owns a 3.670 grade point average as a Business Administration major. Milewski will graduate from USC Aiken next week.

Winners of 14 of their last 15, the Peach Belt Conference regular-season champion Pacers closed out the regular-season with a 41-9 overall record. The Pacers were 24-6 in league play in the 2013 regular-season.

The 2013 Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship is the second for USC Aiken in the last five years. The Pacers also obtained the league regular-season title in 2009. 

The Pacers have three regular-season championships in school history now as they also acquired the 1994 regular-season title. USC Aiken has two Peach Belt Conference Tournament championships (1992 and 1993) in its history.

USC Aiken's regular-season-closing three-game sweep of Georgia Southwestern last weekend left the Pacers having claimed 11 of its 13 three-game series in the 2013 regular-season (Lincoln Memorial, Carson-Newman, Shepherd, Francis Marion, Flagler, Young Harris, North Georgia, Augusta State, Lander, Columbus State and Georgia Southwestern). 

The Pacers swept three-game series from Lincoln Memorial, Shepherd, Flagler, Young Harris, North Georgia, Augusta State, Lander and Georgia Southwestern.

The Peach Belt Conference regular-season champion Pacers will next enter the 2013 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

The 2013 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament will be contested May 8-12 at Dolny Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. The championship will be hosted by Lander.

The top eight teams in the Peach Belt Conference after the regular-season advance to the double-elimination Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament. Further information and seeding for the championship will be released by the Peach Belt Conference office after the conclusion of the league regular-season this weekend. 

Capital One Academic NCAA Division II Baseball District Three First-Team - Click Link to Access