Monday, April 13, 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest Nazarene junior utility player Ben Johnson played three different positions for the Nighthawks this season, but what’s more impressive is that he also leads the 2020 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball All-Academic Team.
Johnson tops a team of 50 All-Academic selections with a 3.97 cumulative grade point average as a biology major with a focus in pre-medicine. He played and started in 10 of the Nighthawks’ 16 games, spending time as a catcher, pitcher and designated hitter. Johnson finished the shortened season with a .321 batting average, nine hits, two runs and five RBI. He also made three starts on the mound, finishing with a 2-1 record, 3.38 earned run average, 15 strikeouts and just two walks, which led the conference.
Along with Johnson, six other honorees post a 3.80 GPA or better. Those selections include Central Washington senior Jaden Hassell; Montana State Billings seniors Will Heward and Sam Muskat; and Northwest Nazarene senior Jonathan Ringer, junior Haden Keller and sophomore Nathan Cassara.
The 2020 All-Academic Team has 15 repeat selections, including three three-time selections in Muskat, Central Washington senior Tyler Hoefer and Saint Martin’s senior Micah McNicoll.
Central Washington led all programs with 12 All-Academic selections, eight of whom have a 3.50 GPA or greater. Northwest Nazarene finished with 10 selections while Concordia and Saint Martin’s each had eight.
The GNAC All-Academic Teams honor excellence in the classroom while committing to the rigor of being part of a collegiate athletic program. Nominees must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 or greater, be a letterwinner on their teams and must be in their second season at the nominating institution.
2020 GNAC BASEBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
CENTRAL WASHINGTON |
|
|
|
Name |
Academic Major |
Year |
GPA |
Hometown |
Aaron Foust |
Communication Studies |
Sr. |
3.23 |
Auburn, Wash. |
Hunter French |
Law & Justice |
Sr. |
3.59 |
Richland, Wash. |
Rhyse Frey |
Construction Management |
Sr. |
3.48 |
Seattle, Wash. |
* Jaden Hassell |
Information Tech & Administration Mgt. |
Sr. |
3.89 |
Milton, Wash. |
*+ Tyler Hoefer |
Law & Justice |
Sr. |
3.67 |
Delta, B.C. |
Dillon Larsen |
Sport Management |
Sr. |
3.72 |
Ellensburg, Wash. |
* Mitch Lesmeister |
Clinical Psychology |
Jr. |
3.69 |
Walla Walla, Wash. |
Cameron McGrath |
Business Administration |
Sr. |
3.74 |
Everett, Wash. |
Luke Smith |
Biology |
Sr. |
3.51 |
Truckee, Calif. |
Joshua Touhey |
Accounting |
So. |
3.53 |
Santan Valley, Ariz. |
Trevor Tripoli |
Business Administration |
So. |
3.26 |
Mililani, Hawaii |
Colton Turner |
Law & Justice |
Sr. |
3.22 |
Olympia, Wash. |
|
|
|
|
|
CONCORDIA |
|
|
|
|
Name |
Academic Major |
Year |
GPA |
Hometown |
Damon Peters |
Business |
Sr. |
3.56 |
Cornelius, Ore. |
Payton Presley |
Business |
Sr. |
3.56 |
Cottage Grove, Ore. |
Tyler Pruitt |
Undeclared |
So. |
3.61 |
Peoria, Ariz. |
* Todd Reese |
Biology |
Sr. |
3.77 |
Bellevue, Wash. |
Garrett Smith |
Business |
Sr. |
3.74 |
Gig Harbor, Wash. |
Kaleb Strawn |
Homeland Security |
Sr. |
3.65 |
Tenino, Wash. |
Tyler White |
Business |
So. |
3.49 |
Rancho Murieta, Calif. |
Jake Wikel |
Business |
Sr. |
3.47 |
Redmond, Wash. |
|
|
|
|
|
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS |
|
|
|
Name |
Academic Major |
Year |
GPA |
Hometown |
PJ Ausmus |
Business Administration: Marketing |
So. |
3.62 |
Parker, Colo. |
Dylan Barkley |
Political Science |
So. |
3.51 |
Missoula, Mont. |
Will Heward |
Public Relations |
Sr. |
3.85 |
Ogden, Utah |
*+ Sam Muskat |
Political Science |
Sr. |
3.91 |
Beaverton, Ore. |
Zander Petrich |
Business Administration: Management |
So. |
3.69 |
Livingston, Mont. |
Connor Poulson |
Business Administration: Management |
Sr. |
3.23 |
Boise, Idaho |
|
|
|
|
|
NORTHWEST NAZARENE |
|
|
|
Name |
Academic Major |
Year |
GPA |
Hometown |
Bryan Black |
Management |
Sr. |
3.22 |
Pasco, Wash. |
Nathan Cassara |
Business Administration |
So. |
3.89 |
Cave Creek, Ariz. |
Bailey Daguio |
Recreation Sport Management |
Sr. |
3.22 |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
Nick Irwin |
Engineering |
So. |
3.20 |
Kennewick, Wash. |
* Ben Johnson |
Biology: Pre-Medicine |
Jr. |
3.97 |
Federal Way, Wash. |
Haden Keller |
Biology |
Jr. |
3.96 |
Minden, Nev. |
* Parker Price |
Public Relations |
Sr. |
3.57 |
Boise, Idaho |
Jonathan Ringer |
Accounting |
Sr. |
3.85 |
Darby, Mont. |
* Justin Slattery |
Recreation Sports Management |
Jr. |
3.37 |
Boise, Idaho |
Steven Verdieck |
Accounting |
So. |
3.23 |
Troutdale, Ore. |
|
|
|
|
|
SAINT MARTIN’S |
|
|
|
|
Name |
Academic Major |
Year |
GPA |
Hometown |
Chayson Dulatre |
Civil Engineering |
So. |
3.31 |
Pearl City, Hawaii |
* Isaac Hegamin |
Psychology |
Jr. |
3.37 |
Covington, Wash. |
* Dakota Hill |
Education |
Jr. |
3.45 |
Yelm, Wash. |
* Tanner Inouye |
Mechanical Engineering |
Sr. |
3.45 |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
*+ Micah McNicoll |
Business Administration |
Sr. |
3.60 |
Kaneohe, Hawaii |
* Bryant Nakagawa |
Civil Engineering |
Jr. |
3.27 |
Wailuku, Hawaii |
* Ryne Oshiro |
Communication Studies |
Jr. |
3.51 |
Aiea, Hawaii |
Benjamin Wadowski |
Mechanical Engineering |
Sr. |
3.32 |
Kent, Wash. |
|
|
|
|
|
WESTERN OREGON |
|
|
|
Name |
Academic Major |
Year |
GPA |
Hometown |
Mitchell Hulse |
Exercise Science |
Sr. |
3.31 |
Littleton, Colo. |
Josh McIntyre |
Criminal Justice |
Sr. |
3.63 |
Huntington Beach, Calif. |
* Dylan Myers |
Business |
Jr. |
3.33 |
Eugene, Ore. |
Nick Parr |
Business |
Jr. |
3.52 |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
JJ Sargeant |
Criminal Justice |
So. |
3.74 |
Springfield, Ore. |
Anthony Zellner |
Business |
So. |
3.38 |
Salem, Ore. |
* - 2019 All-Academic Selection
+ - 2018 All-Academic Selection