ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team has been honored with the 2019-20 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award.

The ABCA recognized over 400 member college and high school programs across the country that posted a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for the entire 2019-20 academic year. The Lions joined the Hilbert Hawks to represent the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. 

"In light of the challenges faced by so many programs across the country, we are humbled to be able to honor a record number of teams for their outstanding academic achievements," said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz. "It is a testament to the leadership of our member coaches and the commitment of their student-athletes who persevered during an unprecedented academic year."

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 Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.