Golden Eagles Pair Named Academic All-America

For the second straight season, Spalding baseball had a pair of student-athletes named to the prestigious Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. Jimi Keating and Matt Harper were both named First Team Academic All-America making the Golden Eagles the only program in the nation with two players on the first team.

The Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team is the premier academic award in collegiate athletics. To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.30 or higher cumulative grade point average and be a starter or significant reserve.

Keating, a Bardstown, Ky. native, becomes the student-athlete in school history to be a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. The Education major holds a 3.75 grade-point average, and on the field, received All-America honors from both the ABCA and D3baseball.com and was named the ABCA Central Region Pitcher of the Year.  On the season, Keating has racked up 107 strikeouts, while hurling his way to a 9-1 record. Keating's 107 strikeouts ranked first in the conference, while his 2.38 earned runs average is third best in the SLIAC.

Harper, a Russellville, Ky. native, is a double major in Accounting and Business Administration and maintains a 4.0 grade-point average. The infielder was named a SLIAC First Team All-Conference selection after hitting .328 on the season with five home runs, including four in conference play, ranking sixth in the conference. Harper also made four appearances on the mound, striking out 18 batters in 18.2 innings pitched.   

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STORY COURTESY OF SPALDING UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION