University of Georgia junior pitcher Emerson Hancock has been named to the 2020 Southeastern Conference Baseball Community Service Team, the league announced Monday.
The conference names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts. It is a continuing effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition.
Hancock’s community service efforts include being an annual Grady County HELP Agency volunteer as they provides necessities and toys to more than 500 families. He is a member of the UGA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C) that organizes and participates in community outreach projects like Special Olympics events, Holiday meals for those less fortunate and Holiday messages to those serving our country. He was selected for the UGA Athletic Association’s Leadership Education and Development (L.E.A.D.) program that is for high-achieving student-athletes who are leaders in the areas of community service and involved on campus.
A 6-4, 213-pound junior right-hander from Cairo, Ga., Hancock is projected as a top five overall pick in next month’s 2020 MLB Draft. He has earned All-America honors on the field and academic accolades in the classroom throughout his career. A Sport Management major, he was named the 2020 Vince Dooley Athlete of the Year as the top male student-athlete at UGA. He is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. In 2020, he made four starts for the second-ranked Bulldogs and went 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA. In 24 innings, he struck out 34 batters with only three walks. As a Bulldog, Hancock is 16-7 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 appearances, all starts, with 206 strikeouts and 55 walks in 192 innings.
Earlier this month, Hancock was one of two Bulldogs named a First-team Academic All-District™ selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Hancock and outfielder Ben Anderson now appear on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America® honorees will be selected in June.
Along with Hancock, the 2020 SEC Baseball Community Service Team features Brock Guffey (Alabama), Casey Opitz (Arkansas), Connor Davis (Auburn), Tommy Mace (Florida), Alex Degen (Kentucky), Matthew Beck (LSU), Tim Elko (Ole Miss), Christian MacLeod (Miss. State), Spencer Juergens (Missouri), Cam Tringali (South Carolina), Luc Lipcius (Tennessee), Christian Roa (Texas A&M) and Harrison Ray (Vanderbilt).