The American Baseball Coaches Association has introduced the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, which will honor high school and college teams coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the academic year.
"As an organization, we are proud to recognize the off-the-field achievements of baseball teams and their coaches," said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz. "The ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award is another way to honor coaches and teams who help their players become well-rounded individuals who will be successful throughout life."
Coaches may nominate their teams following the conclusion of their spring semesters prior to the nomination deadline of July 15. The ABCA Team Academic Excellence Awards will be announced in mid-July on the ABCA website and certificates will be mailed to the head coach.
Criteria for the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award include:
- 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 4.0 scale during the 2015-16 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 Regional & National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Ethics in Coaching Award.