CLINTON, Miss. — The Mississippi College baseball program has been honored with the 2024-25 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and presented by Sports Attack.
MC is one of just four Gulf South Conference programs to earn the distinction, joining Lee University, Union University, and the University of West Florida. MC is also one of only three four-year colleges in Mississippi on the list, alongside Millsaps College and William Carey University.
The award celebrates teams that posted a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.0 scale during the 2024-25 academic year. In total, nearly 750 programs nationwide received the recognition, including more than 440 college teams.
Headlining Mississippi College's academic success was
Logan Shurden, who became the program's first College Sports Communicator (CSC) Academic All-American since 2019 and just the eighth in program history. Shurden was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, along with teammate
Holland Townes, recognizing their combined academic excellence and on-field performance.
In addition, Shurden was selected to the Gulf South Conference All-Academic Team, and 20 Choctaw players were named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll, highlighting the team's strong academic depth and dedication.
To qualify for the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, a program must be led by a current ABCA member and submit a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or higher. Nominations were submitted after the spring semester and evaluated based on academic performance throughout the 2024-25 year.
The ABCA, founded in 1945, honors teams and individuals across amateur baseball for achievements in competition, coaching, and academics. Their awards program includes All-America and All-Region honors, Coach of the Year awards, the ABCA Hall of Fame, and the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award.
Mississippi College finished with 35 victories this season – the third most in program history – as the team reached the regional final for the first time in its Division II history and the third all-time.
