ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced on Wednesday (August 1) that Lewis University has earned the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. The award is given to any collegiate or high school baseball team – coached by a member of the ABCA – that registers at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average for the 2017-18 school year.

Lewis, led by head coach Tim McDonough, checked in with a 3.16 GPA last year.

"Once again our guys have done a tremendous job in the classroom," McDonough said.  "To receive this honor every year since its inception speaks volumes about the character and work ethic of our players and the wonderful support staff headlined by Courtney Schmitz.  I couldn't be more proud of this group and they have set the bar high for future teams."

Coaches were able to nominate their teams for the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award following the conclusion of their spring semesters prior to the nomination deadline of July 6. To be honored, teams had to meet the following criteria:
 

• Must be a high school or college team.
• Head coach must be a current ABCA member.
• Team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale during the 2016-17 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.