MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State was one of 400 schools, and the only school
from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) recognized by the American
Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for their work in the classroom.
The Hornets were among
the schools to receive the 2019-20 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award,
announced by the organization to close out the month of July. Teams from every
level of college and high school baseball were honored with this year’s award,
which highlights programs coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA of 3.0 or
above on a 4.0 scale for the entire 2019-20 academic year.
A record 434 college and
high school programs submitted nominations and received this year’s award. In
total, 146 high school teams along with 288 programs from the NCAA Division I,
II, III, NAIA, and Junior College levels were recognized. Alabama State was one
of 68 programs at the NCAA Division I level to earn the honor and one of three
schools from the state – Samford and UAB.
It is the second consecutive
year that Alabama State has been named the recipient of the award.
“In light of the
challenges faced by so many programs across the country, we are humbled to be
able to honor a record number of teams for their outstanding academic achievement,”
ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz said. “It is a testament to the
leadership of our member coaches and the commitment of their student-athletes
who persevered during an unprecedented year.”
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 Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.
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