Grade garners Gold Glove recognition

NAIA Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bellevue University third baseman Nick Grade (Kennewick, Wash.) was honored today by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association All-America Committee on the ABCA/Rawlings-NAIA Gold Glove Team.

Grade fielded .966 at third base, registering a team-high 111 assists and helping roll 11 double plays. While having a banner year in the field, Grade also hit .356 with a 1.133 OPS, 61 RBI, and a team-leading 15 home runs.

This was the 16^th season of the award, which started in 2007, in which nine players were chosen based on their defensive success. There was no team selected during the 2020 season.

Nine different schools were represented on this year's team.

Grade becomes the seventh different Bruin – and eighth overall selection – to be recognized with an NAIA Gold Glove. He is the sixth Bruin to receive the honor in the past seven seasons. He joins Brett Chamberlain (C, 2009), Jake Browne (C, 2016 and 2017), Matt Evans (3B, 2018), Cody Banks (2B, 2021), Alec Ackerman (SS, 2022), and Conner Barnett (RF, 2022) as Bruins to have won the award.

Bellevue concluded the 2023 seasons with a 48-10 overall record (25-3 NSAA), winning their fourth-straight NSAA Regular-Season Title. In postseason play, the Bruins claimed their fifth NSAA Tournament Championship, second-straight Opening Round title, and reached the Avista NAIA World Series for the third time in four years and 16^th time overall.

2023 ABCA/Rawlings-NAIA Gold Glove Team