Three Bruins earn All-American Honors
Elijah Johnson earned first-team honors while junior shortstop Alec Ackerman and junior center fielder Kanta Kobayashi were both named to the second team.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Led by senior pitcher Elijah Johnson (Omaha, Neb.), the Bellevue University baseball team had three representatives on the NAIA All-American squads as selected by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches' Association All-America Committee.
Johnson earned first-team honors while junior shortstop Alec Ackerman (Parker, Colo.) and junior center fielder Kanta Kobayashi (Tokyo, Japan) were both named to the second team.
The first and second teams are also recognized as ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods. The ABCA began recognizing All-Americans in 1949 and named the first ABCA NAIA All-America team in 1969.
Johnson earned the North Star Pitcher of the Year recognition after turning in one of the most dominating regular seasons in conference history which featured him taking home NSAA Pitcher of the Week honors a program- and conference-record six times. While emerging as BU's ace, he recorded an 11-2 record with a 1.96 ERA and a nation-leading 153 strikeouts across 101 innings of work.
His 14.06 strikeouts per nine innings rank second all-time in BU history, and his strikeout total of 153 ranks second in school history.
Johnson was also named the 2021-22 BU Athletics co-Male Athlete of the Year.
Ackerman took home NSAA Player of the Year honors this season after serving as the anchor in the three-hole of the Bruin lineup while playing outstanding defense at short. He hit .378 with team-leading totals of 19 home runs, 166 total bases, 38 extra-base hits, and 74 RBIs. Additionally, he ranked second on the team with 69 runs scored, 88 base hits, 17 doubles, and a .712 slugging percentage. He was also successful in 7-of-9 stolen base attempts on the season.
Kobayashi earned first-team all-NSAA honors while leading the Bruins and the nation with 107 base hits. He also collected the NSAA Newcomer of the Year award. Kobayashi was a mainstay in a flawless center field and atop the batting order. He hit a team-leading .439 with 31 extra-base hits along with 88 runs scored, 19 doubles, and seven triples. He amassed 22 stolen bases, the most by a Bruin in a single season since 2018, and his 107 base hits are the third-highest single-season total in program history.
Bellevue wrapped up its 2022 season last week at the Avista NAIA World Series. During the campaign, the Bruins posted a 49-13 overall mark, going 25-2 in conference play winning both the NSAA Regular-Season and Tournament titles. BU took the league's lone automatic bid as they made their 24th NAIA National Tournament Appearance, hosting their fourth Opening Round at Don Roddy Field, and advancing to the program's 15 Avista NAIA World Series.