GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Bates baseball team was recognized for their work in the classroom last Wednesday, earning the 2025-26 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
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. 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 minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale for the 2025-26 academic year
Led by head coach
Jon Martin, the Bobcats achieved a team GPA of 3.52. This marks the sixth straight season they've earned the Team Academic Excellence Award. Bates shined on the field as well in 2026, finishing the year with a record of 20-10, their most wins in one season since 2014 and their best winning percentage since 2010.
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/ATEC Regional & National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.
