Ackerman, Kobayashi named Preseason All-Americans
Seniors Alec Ackerman and Kanta Kobayashi have each been named to the NAIA Baseball Preseason All-America, as announced by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association (NAIA-BCA) All-America Committee on Tuesday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Seniors Alec Ackerman (Parker, Colo.) and Kanta Kobayashi (Tokyo, Japan) have each been named to the NAIA Baseball Preseason All-America, as announced by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association (NAIA-BCA) All-America Committee on Tuesday.
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 (1.160 OPS) 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 (1.152) 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.
Earlier this month, Bellevue picked up a No. 5 ranking in the annual NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll. BU opens their 2023 slate against budding rival Concordia University in Oklahoma City on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Bellevue is coming off a 2022 season in which they posted a 49-13 overall mark, going 25-2 in conference play, and sweeping both the NSAA Regular-Season and Tournament titles. BU took the league's lone automatic bid in making their 24th National Tournament Appearance, hosted their fourth Opening Round at Don Roddy Field, and reached the Avista NAIA World Series for the third time in the past six full seasons.