BOSTON – The Suffolk baseball program was awarded for its efforts in the classroom with an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2016-17 academic year.
Suffolk joins over 200 programs from amongst all three NCAA divisions, NAIA, junior college and the high school ranks to garner the award. The Rams, who took home the honor for the first time, is the lone representative of the GNAC.
In order to be eligible to receive the plaudit, a team must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale during the 2016-17 year and the head coach must be a current ABCA member.
The baseball program adds the academic accomplishment to a decorated season that included its third straight GNAC title, a historical run in the NCAA Division III New England Regionals, the program's seventh All-American in Brady Chant, six all-region honors and 10 all-conference accolades. The Rams were statistical champions in triples (32) and triples per game (0.71) with Chant earning the feat as an individual in both categories. Academically, Suffolk has been recognized already this season with Matt Brenner garner CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team honors and 12 Rams earning a spot on the GNAC All-Academic Team.
The American Baseball Coaches Association has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Team 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.