IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- After compiling a team grade point average of 3.27, the Ellsworth CC baseball squad earned distinction as a 2021-22 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.  And a dozen ECC baseball players were honored as All-Academic Team members.

Six players -- freshmen Jalen Aguiniga and Connor Cox, sophomores Bryce Hall, Charlie Jaeger and JT Kostenbauer and freshman Jose Valentin -- were named to the All-Academic 2nd Team with GPAs between 3.80 and 3.99.  Six more -- sophomores Gavin Busby, Diego Dinzey, Javier Melendez and Simon Victoriano and freshmen Logan Smith and Derihan Suero  -- are All-Academic 3rd Team members with GPAs between 3.60 and 3.79.

The baseball program repeated as an Academic Team of the Year, having also made the list in 2020-21.  To be an Academic Team of the Year a squad needed a team GPA of 3.0 or better.

For the 2021-22 academic year, Ellsworth had four of its athletic teams gain Team of the Year honors and 45 ECC student-athletes earned the All-Academic award, up from 28 the year before.  Of the 45 individuals who qualified, 25 were sophomores and 20 were freshmen.  There were nine repeat honorees from last year including Hall, Jaeger and Dinzey off the baseball team.