Several players doing double duty

Many players leave high school wishing they could play two sports in college.

Some players move on to college and only are able to play one sport. Others have the luxury of playing two sports. Then there are those that play two sports and earn a plethora of accolades both in baseball and football.

That’s the life lived by Minnesota’s Eric Decker and others.

Decker, a standout receiver for the football team, joins nine other college baseball players that also are on their college’s football rosters.

Stanford and Notre Dame each have two players in two sports. Toby Gerhart is the starting running back for the Cardinal and Tyler Gaffney is the backup running back. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has a pair of big-time contributors. Golden Tate is a starting wide receiver and Eric Maust is the starting punter.

Other notables include Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker, Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee and LSU safety Chad Jones.

Golden Tate is a standout receiver and baseball player for Notre Dame.

(US Presswire)

Kyle Parker

College. Clemson

The skinny. Parker is a big-time contributor in both baseball and football. His batting average dropped last season, but he still managed to slug 12 homers and knock in 52 runs. He also finished last season with a respectable .543 slugging percentage. On the football field, Parker is the starting quarterback for the Tigers. So far this season, he has completed 24-of-51 passes for 420 yards. He also has rushed for 59 yards on 14 carries. Parker is a big piece to the puzzle for both programs.

Chad Jones

College. Louisiana State

The skinny. Jones definitely goes down as the most imposing figure in college baseball. He earned a wealth of praise last season by becoming one of LSU’s best situational pitchers. He made nine appearances for the national champion Tigers and had a 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. On the gridiron, Jones also is a big-time contributor. He earned All-SEC honors at safety as a freshman and also had a solid ’08 campaign. This season, Jones has played in two games and recorded nine tackles. LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri expects Jones to have another important role next spring.

Russell Wilson

College. N.C. State

The skinny. Wilson hopes to leave his mark on the baseball diamond before his career is over, but his path to success already is on the right track on the gridiron. Wilson is the starting quarterback for the Wolfpack and has guided them to a 1-1 record. Wilson is 27-of-44 for 302 yards (61.4%) passing the football. He also has rushed for 43 yards on 15 carries. On the diamond, Wilson had a tough spring because of an injury. He finished the spring hitting .236 with 10 RBIs in just 72 at bats.

Eric Decker

College. Minnesota

The skinny. There’s not a better two-sport player in America. Decker has made his presence known in football and baseball. Last season for the Gophers baseball team, Decker batted .319 with 13 doubles, three triples, four homers and 25 RBIs. He also was 11-for-18 in stolen bases. On the gridiron, Decker is one of the nation’s top wide receivers. He earned consensus All-Big Ten honors last season and is off to another great start this fall. In two games, Decker has compiled 19 catches for 296 yards. Decker is a candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, which annually goes to the top receiver.

Toby Gerhart

College. Stanford

The skinny. Gerhart is known for his hard-nosed mentality on the baseball field, so it should come as no surprise that he also is a standout running back for the Cardinal football team. Gerhart finished last baseball season hitting .288 with 12 doubles, two triples, seven homers and 36 RBIs. He also stole seven bases. He’s off to another solid start on the gridiron. Gerhart has recorded 40 rushes for 214 yards, which is an average of 5.1 yards per carry. He also has caught one pass for 12 yards. Gerhard was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection last season.

Brandon Magee

College. Arizona State

The skinny. Magee is another imposing figure and is already making his mark for the Sun Devils football team this fall. Magee is a linebacker and has played in both games for the Sun Devils. He has recorded five tackles, including four solo tackles. Magee also has recorded his first interception of the season. Magee still is trying to become a consistent contributor on the baseball diamond. He had just 12 at bats last season and failed to record a hit. Perhaps that trend changes next spring.

Tyler Gaffney

College. Stanford

The skinny. Gaffney is only a true freshman and hasn’t stepped on the baseball diamond. He has, however, appeared in a game for the Cardinal football team. Gaffney, a running back, has rushed twice for eight yards. Gaffney serves as a backup for baseball teammate Toby Gerhart. On the baseball front, Gaffney batted over .500 as a junior in high school. He definitely can help the Cardinal baseball team.

Golden Tate

College. Notre Dame

The skinny. Tate meets the standard of a two-sport star for the Fighting Irish. On the baseball diamond, the junior finished last season with impressive numbers. He ended the spring hitting .329 with eight doubles, a home run and 21 RBIs. He also had a .399 on-base percentage and was 13-of-14 in stolen bases. He also fielded at a .973 clip. Tate also is a consistent contributor at wide receiver for the football team. So far this season, Tate has caught 12 passes for 174 yards for an average of 14.5 yards per catch. He also has two rushes for eight yards.

Eric Maust

College. Notre Dame

The skinny. Maust is a consistent contributor for the baseball and football programs. On the diamond, Maust serves as a weekend starter for the Fighting Irish. Last season, he made 14 starts and compiled a 6-3 record with a 4.94 ERA in 85 2/3 innings. He also struck out 26 and walked 28 and opponents hit .295 off him. On the gridiron, Maust is the starting punter for the Irish and has punted seven times for 282 yards. That equates to 40.3 yards per punt. He’s a senior this season.

Ryan Lewis

College. Rice

The skinny. Lewis has an opportunity to make a big statement for both programs before his days at Rice are over. The redshirt freshman is a backup quarterback for the football team and also garnered playing time for the baseball team last spring. On the gridiron, Lewis has appeared in one game and was 7-for-15 passing for 66 yards. He also recorded three rushes for 15 yards. On the diamond, Lewis appeared in 22 games last season and tallied a .289 batting average with nine RBIs. He also had a .441 OBP.