Baseball Player with 4.0 Named College Valedictorian; Will Play for San Francisco State

College sophomore Zachary Neumann received his associate’s degree from Marion Military Institute (MMI) on Friday, May 6, graduating as valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. Neumann, a Huntsville High School graduate, spent two years with the MMI baseball program while enrolled as a civilian-track Leadership Education Program cadet.   

Neumann’s diploma came early, during Friday night’s Honors Convocation in the historic Chapel (1857) because his team was playing a double-header against Central Alabama Community College during Saturday’s commencement ceremony. The MMI Tigers swept their last series of the regular season against Central Alabama and will begin Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) tournament play on Friday, May 13 in Ozark.

On the baseball diamond, Neumann had 47 hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homerun) in 168 plate appearances for a .346 average.  As MMI's starting second baseman he scored 34 runs for the Tigers with 34 RBIs. For his performance on and off the field, he received the COL Thomas H. Williams Award for highest GPA and John C. Moore Award for Excellence in Athletics and Academics.

After his ACCC baseball career ends, Neumann has the opportunity to continue playing college baseball. Having earned an athletic scholarship from San Francisco State University, Neumann will join the Gators program (NCAA Division II) while he pursues his bachelor’s degree. 

http://mmitigers.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/bios/neumann_zachary_d7w0?view=profile