GREENSBORO, N.C. -- For the second time in four years, the Bellevue University baseball team has been recognized by the American Baseball Coaches Association with their prestigious Team Academic Excellence Award.
Bellevue, also a recipient of the award in 2017, is among 430 college and high school programs honored with the award. The award recognizes teams coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 2019-20 academic year.
The Bruins were one of 28 NAIA schools to earn this honor and, along with Mayville State, one of just two North Star programs honored.
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 17. 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 score during the 2019-20 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 Sports Regional & National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.
Bellevue posted a 9-11 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. The Bruins reached for the Avista NAIA World Series twice in the previous four seasons and have qualified nine-straight NAIA National Tournaments. In the program's storied history, Bellevue has qualified for 22 National Tournaments, made 14 World Series Appearances, and won the 1995 NAIA National Championship.