Baseball squad honored with 2019-20 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The American Baseball Coaches Association announced its Team Academic Excellence Award winners for 2019-20 earlier this week. Defiance College earned a spot on the list for the second straight season after the baseball squad posted a 3.33 grade-point average this past academic year.

To receive an ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, all members of the program must combine for a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) over the entire school year.

A total of 429 teams were recognized for their academic achievements, including 143 high school clubs and 286 collegiate programs covering all levels of the NCAA, NAIA and junior colleges. In NCAA Division III, Defiance was one of 110 squads, including seven Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference members to be recognized.

The Yellow Jackets, under head coach Derek Woodley, finished with a 7-3 overall record in 2020 before having their season end early because of the current coronavirus pandemic. DC's .700 winning percentage was the best in 52 years, when the 1968 team went 19-8.