West Liberty, W.Va. — The West Liberty University baseball team has once again proven its commitment to success both on and off the field, earning the prestigious ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2024-25 academic year.

Presented annually by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and sponsored by Sports Attack, this honor recognizes programs that achieve a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. West Liberty's baseball program exceeded that benchmark with an impressive 3.14 team GPA. Ten Hilltoppers earned a perfect 4.00 GPA, and 31 players posted a GPA of 3.00 or higher, highlighting a true team-wide dedication to academic success.

This year, nearly 750 programs nationwide earned the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, including 440 college programs and nearly 300 high school programs. To be eligible, teams must have had a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher for the academic year, and their head coach must be a current ABCA member. 

The award is part of a broader initiative by the ABCA to recognize excellence across all levels of the sport. Since its founding in 1945, the ABCA has honored coaches and student-athletes through a robust awards program that includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams, the ABCA/ATEC Coaches of the Year, and special honors like the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.

West Liberty's inclusion among this year's honorees speaks volumes about the program's culture of accountability, leadership, and success. As the Hilltoppers continue to compete at a high level on the diamond, they do so with an academic foundation that reflects the very best of NCAA Division II athletics.