By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University baseball team has earned the Team Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for 2019-20. Willamette and other teams qualified for the award by attaining at least a 3.0 team grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout the academic year.

Overall, 300 NCAA and NAIA teams qualified for the award. Willamette was one of 114 teams in NCAA Division III that achieved the honor.

"I'm very proud of our players and their performance in the classroom," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "The consistency in which they strive for greatness in all that they do is a byproduct of our outstanding team culture."

The Bearcats concluded the shortened season with an 8-8 overall record, including 5-4 in the Northwest Conference. Head Coach Aaron Swick ended the year with a career record of 242-210-1.

Justin Scanlon (Sr., 2B, San Jose, CA/Leigh HS/West Valley College) was chosen as a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for the 2020 season.

On offense, Willamette pounded out 42 doubles, three triples, and 14 home runs during its 16 games this spring. Nick Di Fiori (Jr., INF/RHP, Monrovia, CA/Bishop Amat HS) earned a .393 batting average to top all players with at least one at bat per game. In addition, the Bearcats were 37 of 42 on stolen bases, led by Joey Faudskar (Sr., OF, Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle HS), who tied for the NCAA Division III lead with 18 stolen bases (18 of 20).

The WU pitching staff registered a 4.92 earned run average. Among players with 10 or more innings pitched, Ben Whitten (Sr., RHP, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) was the team leader with a 3.18 ERA om 28 1/3 innings pitched.