ST. LOUIS, Mo. - - Belmont Baseball has been recognized for earning the 2023-24 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award, presented by Sports Attack.
The award honors high school and college programs coached by ABCA members who posted a grade-point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for the cumulative 2023-24 academic year.
Belmont, having wrapped up their second year in the Missouri Valley Conference, is recognized for their academic success for the fourth straight year.
The Bruins posted a 3.63 team cumulative GPA during the Spring 2024 semester.
Several players received individual academic accolades.
Brodey Heaton,
Jack Rando and
Joe Ruzicka were named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, and Heaton was named the 2024 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The trio,
Blake Barton and
Will Pryor were named to the College Sports Communications Academic All-District Team.
The Bruins are honored alongside five other MVC programs: Bradley, UIC, Murray State, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso.
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/ATEC 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.
About the ABCA
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association members have broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.
About Sports Attack
Sports Attack was founded in 1995 in Reno, NV, but our design and manufacturing folks pre-date the first wheel machines in the baseball industry, well over 50 years ago. With three active partners still heavily engaged, SA is proudly family-owned and operated. To say that we are manufacturers of quality sports training equipment just seems to not capture the essence of who we are. We do not just design our products; we explore, scrutinize, analyze and engineer our products. We do not just manufacture or assemble our equipment; we build each one from the ground up, by hand, the old-fashioned way. We view our suppliers through the lens of our mission statement, as a critical part of the design and development of our equipment. After fabrication and prior to shipment the equipment is tested thoroughly, every aspect of every unit. This ensures the product reliability on which our brand is built. Our process represents who we are; distinctive and exclusive design, detailed and quality manufacturing, resulting in innovative, highly effective training equipment. Our corporate integrity is a critical asset, and we are committed to upholding it worldwide. We set high standards and we abide by them as we practice business fairly and behave ethically. We wholeheartedly believe in, enthusiastically embrace and relentlessly pursue our company's mission. For more information, visit sportsattack.com.
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