GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Northwest baseball program has been recognized as a recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association's (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2017-18 academic year.

Under 14th-year head coach Mark Carson, the Rangers posted a 3.10 GPA in the classroom and finished 30-14 on the diamond. Northwest was preseason ranked No. 7 and advanced to the postseason for a ninth consecutive year.

In order to be considered for the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, a team must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale during the 2017-18 academic year. Northwest was one of only three MACJC programs to be honored and one of only four within the NJCAA's Region 23.

A record number of teams were recognized with the 2017-18 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. In total, 292 college and high school programs received this year's award, including 94 high school programs and 77 teams from NCAA Div. III. 

"We are thrilled to be able to honor all of this year's Team Academic Excellence Award recipients," said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz. "It is a privilege for our association to have the opportunity to highlight so many deserving teams and recognize all of the hard work they put in off the field throughout the year."

The American Baseball Coaches Association has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams are the nation's oldest, founded in 1949, and the ABCA's awards program also includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Awards, the ABCA/Diamond Regional & National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Ethics in Coaching Award.