Wednesday, April 30, 2003

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 30, 2003) - East Tennessee State baseball pitcher Jarrod Hyder (Elizabethton, Tenn.) has been named the TIAA-CREF Southern Conference Student Athlete of the Week for the week of April 22-29. Hyder has provided the Buccaneer baseball team with a much-needed spark since joining the starting rotation three weeks ago. Prior to this season, Hyder was a star reliever for the Bucs but with the season hanging in the balance, head coach Tony Skole has turned to his senior leader to start some pivotal matchups. Hyder has responded in grand fashion, going 2-0 in his three starts with a 1.74 ERA, scattering 23 hits in 20.2 innings while allowing just four earned runs and striking out 17. This past Sunday, Hyder took the hill against Davidson with the Bucs one game behind the Wildcats for the final spot in the Southern Conference Tournament. With ETSU needing a win, Hyder again was tremendous, pitching seven innings and allowing eight hits and two earned runs while striking out five. He picked up the win as the Bucs went on to defeat Davidson, 16-3. As well as being a team leader on the mound, Hyder is also a role model in the classroom, having already earned his undergraduate degree in Corporate Finanace and Investments in August and currently working toward his M.B.A. Hyder had a 3.7 GPA in his undergraduate work and currently has a 3.9 GPA in his grad school classes. In August, Hyder graduated Magne Cum Laude, and ranked 13th in his class. For the season, Hyder leads the Buccaneer pitching staff with a 6-1 record, and has a 4.91 ERA in 21 appearances. He has allowed 78 hits in 58.2 innings and struck out 47 opposing batters. TIAA-CREF, with approximately $259 billion in assets under management, is the premier retirement system for the education and research sector in the U.S., serving 2.5 million participants at 15,000 institutions. Additionally, the TIAA-CREF group of companies offers mutual funds, after-tax annuities, life insurance, and trust services to the general public. The TIAA-CREF group also manages 13 state-sponsored college savings programs, more than any other company.