Bruins earn ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award
Bellevue was one of eight NAIA schools honored with the Team Academic Excellence Award
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Bellevue University baseball team has been recognized by the American Baseball Coaches Association with their prestigious Team Academic Excellence Award.
In total, 215 college and high school programs were honored with the award, which recognizes teams coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 2016-17 academic year.
Bellevue was one of just eight NAIA schools to receive this recognition, along with Doane, Indiana Tech., Lawrence Tech., Reinhardt, Siena Heights, Antelope Valley, and Jamestown.
Coaches were able to nominate their teams for the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award following the conclusion of their spring semesters prior to the nomination deadline of July 7. To be honored, teams had to meet the following criteria:
- Must be a high school or college team.
- Head coach must be a current ABCA member.
- Team must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale during the 2016-17 academic year. GPA may not be rounded up.
The American Baseball Coaches Association has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams are the nation's oldest, founded in 1949, and the ABCA's awards program also includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Awards, the ABCA/Diamond Regional & National Coaches of the Year, and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Ethics in Coaching Award.
Bellevue recently concluded another strong season with a 51-11 overall mark that saw them earn their second-straight NSAA Regular-Season title after going 23-1 in league play. The Bruins hosted the NAIA Opening Round Bellevue Bracket where they reached the final round. The National Tournament Appearance was the 19th in the storied history of the Bruin Baseball program.