GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Trine baseball team has been named a recipient of the 2015-16 American Baseball Coaches Association Team Academic Excellence Award, the organization announced today.
The Thunder baseball team earned the honor for the first time in program history. The award honors high school and college programs who posted a GPA over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the academic year and have a head coach who is a current ABCA member. More than 140 high school and college programs were recognized with the inaugural award. Teams from NCAA Divisions I, II and III, junior college and high school were honored.
Trine was the only member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to receive the honor. During the 2014-15 academic year the Thunder boasted 10 members on the conference's Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes who have earned a varsity letter and at least a 3.50 GPA. The MIAA is expected to announce this year's honor roll members in the coming weeks.
"We are extremely proud to recognize the academic accomplishments of so many of our member coaches' programs this year," said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz. "This award highlights our coaches' commitment to developing student-athletes that excel both on and off the field, and we're proud of these student-athletes for their success in the classroom."
The ABCA 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 ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award.
Trine concluded the season with an overall record of 18-21 and placed fifth in the MIAA with a 14-14 mark in league action. The Thunder produced two All-MIAA performers.