DALLAS – Louisiana Tech's
Jonathan Fincher and
Steele Netterville were named to the 2021 Conference USA Baseball All-Academic Team on Monday afternoon.
Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss were the only two C-USA programs with multiple representatives on the 11-member all-academic team.
Fincher holds a 3.89 GPA in biology with a minor in chemistry. The left-handed starting pitcher has been named to the dean's list at Louisiana Tech twice and the president's list eight times across his successful career on and off the field. Fincher is also a three-time C-USA Academic Medalist and three-time C-USA Honor Roll recipient.
The Shreveport native concluded the conference season ranked first among C-USA pitchers with a .202 batting average against him. LA Tech's Friday night ace also ranked second in the league in innings pitched (80.1) and third in ERA (2.58). Fincher has posted two complete-game shutouts in 2021, including a one-hitter at Tulane on March 19. The southpaw earned C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors twice during his exceptional season on the mound.
Netterville, who recently was accepted into medical school at LSU-Shreveport, also holds a 3.89 GPA in biology with a minor in chemistry. The fellow Shreveport native and C.E. Byrd High School graduate has been named to the dean's list at LA Tech twice and the president's list nine times. Netterville is also a four-time C-USA Academic Medalist and a four-time C-USA Honor Roll recipient.
Despite missing 10 games due to injury, Tech's designated hitter ended the 2021 C-USA season tied for a team-high nine home runs. He also ranked second on the team and 11
th in the conference with a .566 slugging percentage. Netterville earned C-USA Hitter of the Week honors earlier this season after a monster weekend at Southern Miss in March, amassing six hits, two homers, a triple and seven RBI in a series win over the Golden Eagles.
Both Fincher and Netterville graduated from Louisiana Tech over the weekend. The longtime teammates proved vital to LA Tech's run to a C-USA Western Division championship, Tech's first division title since 1992.
The pair of Bulldogs will open the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Baseball Championship on Wednesday against No. 7 seed UTSA. First pitch for the first-round matchup is scheduled for 4 p.m. at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
