Photo by: Maddie McCall
Kovalchik Named to CSC Academic All-America Third Team
7/8/2024 10:26:00 AM | Baseball
Becomes first in program history to earn accolade
GREENWOOD, Ind. (July 8, 2024) – For the first time in program history, the Sacred Heart University baseball team has had a student-athlete selected as an Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators (CSC), as announced during the holiday week. Junior center fielder Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) was named to the Academic All-America Third Team. Among 33 Division I honorees, he was the only selection from a New England institution.
Kovalchik was previously one of four Pioneers to be named to the CSC Academic All-District Team this spring. Select All-District nominees advanced to the Academic All-America ballot, which was voted on by communications professionals from across the nation. To be eligible for the Academic All-District/All-America program, each student-athlete must own a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average or higher, be at least a sophomore in academic standing, and have either participated in at least 90% of their team's games or started two-thirds of them (pitchers need either make 17 appearances or log 25 innings).
It had been Kovalchik's second career Academic All-District selection and, this time around, his 3.977 GPA as a biology major was enough to make him Pio baseball's first ever Academic All-America selection.
An All-Northeast Conference First Team pick and SHU's everyday center fielder, Kovalchik appeared in 57 of the team's 58 games, including 56 starts, to log the most playing time of any Pioneer this spring. Kovalchik put together a .315/.401/.514 slash line, good for a team-leading .915 OPS across 222 at-bats (70-for-222).
SHU (35-23, 25-8 NEC) finished the season with a program-record 35 wins and captured its first ever NEC regular-season title this spring. The Pios returned to the title round of the NEC Championship for the first time since 2017.
Kovalchik was previously one of four Pioneers to be named to the CSC Academic All-District Team this spring. Select All-District nominees advanced to the Academic All-America ballot, which was voted on by communications professionals from across the nation. To be eligible for the Academic All-District/All-America program, each student-athlete must own a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average or higher, be at least a sophomore in academic standing, and have either participated in at least 90% of their team's games or started two-thirds of them (pitchers need either make 17 appearances or log 25 innings).
It had been Kovalchik's second career Academic All-District selection and, this time around, his 3.977 GPA as a biology major was enough to make him Pio baseball's first ever Academic All-America selection.
An All-Northeast Conference First Team pick and SHU's everyday center fielder, Kovalchik appeared in 57 of the team's 58 games, including 56 starts, to log the most playing time of any Pioneer this spring. Kovalchik put together a .315/.401/.514 slash line, good for a team-leading .915 OPS across 222 at-bats (70-for-222).
SHU (35-23, 25-8 NEC) finished the season with a program-record 35 wins and captured its first ever NEC regular-season title this spring. The Pios returned to the title round of the NEC Championship for the first time since 2017.
Players Mentioned
OF
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