DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team has been named a recipient of the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association this week.
 
This is the third consecutive year the Huskies have been honored nationally for their work in the classroom.
 
"Our continued success in the classroom over the past few years is a testament to the student-athletes in our program," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We put an emphasis on reaching our players' potential not just on the field, but as a student and a person also."
 
NIU had 10 student-athletes named to the Mid-American Conference Academic All-MAC Team this season, led by three-time selection Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Twp.). Seniors Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) and Paddy McKermitt (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central), along with sophomore Connor Langreder (West De Pere, Wis./West De Pere) are two-time Academic All-MAC honorees. Barnes was one of three Huskies to be on the Academic All-MAC team and play at least 50 games this past year, joining first-time Academic All-MAC selections Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) and Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel).
 
To qualify for the award, programs must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. A total of 114 NCAA Division I baseball programs earned the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award in the 2021-22 academic year.
 
--NIU--