LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas junior third baseman Val Chapple has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team.

Chapple, who is a first time honoree, is a secondary education/physics major with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and is one of just three players from the Big 12 honored on the first team.

The Overland Park, Kan., native is batting .304 this season and leads the team with 37 RBIs and nine home runs, both of which rank in KU's top 10 single-season record list.

Chapple and the Jayhawks will face Nebraska tonight in a 5 p.m. contest during the opening round of the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, Okla.