Thursday, July 1, 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. – On the heels of Northwest Nazarene’s run to the NCAA Championships, five Nighthawks’ players lead the conference’s selections to the College Sports Information Directors of America’s (CoSIDA) Division II Academic All-District 8 Baseball Team.
Sophomore pitcher Kyle Ethridge, senior pitcher Max Holtzclaw, senior catcher Ben Johnson and senior infielders John Gonzalez and Colton Moore were all recognized for their combination of athletic and academic achievement. The quintet of Nighthawks is joined by Montana State Billings senior infielder Will Riley.
The Academic All-District teams are nominated and voted upon by members of CoSIDA and recognize student-athletes of sophomore standing or higher who are starters or significant reserves for their teams with a minimum GPA of 3.30 or better. The players selected will be put up for consideration for the Academic All-America Team, which will be announced on July 28.
Ethridge, named First Team All-GNAC, First Team ABCA All-West Region and Second Team NCBWA All-West Region, has a 3.85 cumulative GPA as a criminal justice major. He finished the year with a 6-1 record and a 3.36 earned run average, which ranked fourth in the GNAC. His .223 opponent batting average was second-lowest in the conference among all qualified pitchers.
Holtzclaw, who has a 3.61 GPA as a recreation and sport management major, was a First Team All-GNAC and consensus First Team All-West Region selection. He finished the season with a 5-2 record and a 3.42 earned run average in 19 relief appearances. His five saves led the conference and ranked 31st in Division II.
With a 3.98 GPA as a biology major, Johnson was the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 award for the Division II Baseball Championships, recognizing the player at the championships with the highest cumulative GPA. A First Team All-GNAC and Second Team NCBWA All-West Region selection as a utility player, Johnson batted .328 with 42 hits, five doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI.
Gonzalez, who was named the GNAC Championships MVP and Honorable Mention All-GNAC, has a 4.00 GPA as a student in Northwest Nazarene’s Master of Business Administration program. A starter in 43 of 44 games played at first base, Gonzalez finished the year with a .248 batting average with 36 hits. He led the conference and ranked 14th in Division II with 17 home runs. Gonzalez also ranked fourth in the GNAC with a .690 slugging percentage.
Moore, who earned First Team All-GNAC, Second Team NCBWA All-West Region honors as a second baseman, has a 4.00 GPA as a public relations major. He finished the year with a .263 batting average and finished second in the GNAC with 13 doubles while amassing 42 hits, seven home runs and 13 stolen bases.
Montana State Billings’ Riley has a 3.72 GPA as a health & human performance major. He was named Honorable Mention All-America by the NCBWA while earning First Team All-GNAC and consensus First Team All-West Region honors at shortstop. Riley was third in the GNAC with a .401 batting average, led the conference with 63 hits and was fourth with 42 runs. His 1.57 runs per game ranked 40th among Division II players.
The CoSIDA Division II Academic All-District 8 Team is comprised of players from the GNAC, the California Collegiate Athletic Association and the PacWest Conference. The PacWest had seven of the team’s honorees.