ST. LOUIS - Having already earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in recognition of their play on the field, a trio of Bradley Baseball players also earned MVC Scholar-Athlete accolades for their combined performance in the classroom, according to the release of the 2015 MVC Scholar-Athlete Baseball Team by the league office Tuesday morning.
Junior pitcher/designated hitter Elliot Ashbeck (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield H.S.) and senior catcher Drew Carlile (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre H.S.) both landed on the MVC Scholar-Athlete first team, while senior centerfielder Isaac Smith (Richmond, Ky./Madison Central H.S.) was an honorable mention selection, based on a league-wide vote of the eight baseball sports information contacts. All three players earned second-team All-MVC recognition last month. The criteria for the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team voting parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Capital One Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution. A total of 23 student-athletes received MVC Baseball Scholar-Athlete recognition from a pool of 56 nominees.
Ashbeck remains tied for sixth nationally with 11 pitching victories this season and is one of 10 players still under consideration for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. In addition to posting an 11-5 record and 3.55 earned run average in a single-season school record 17 pitching starts in 2015, Ashbeck hit in 36 games with a .264 batting average. His 13 doubles and 31 runs batted in both were second on the team, despite the limit on his at-bats to his non-pitching games. A true junior in eligibility, Ashbeck graduated in three years, boasting a 3.33 cumulative grade point average as a business management and administration major.
Sporting a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Bradley's intensive Accounting 3:2 program, Carlile received the 2015 MVC Baseball Elite 18 Award at the conclusion of the MVC Baseball Championship. A 2015 first-team Capital One Academic All-American, Carlile will receive both his bachelor's and master's degree upon completion of the five-year program. On the field, Bradley's starting catcher hit .287 and shared the team lead with seven home runs in 2015.
Smith is one of six student-athletes on the 2015 MVC Baseball Scholar-Athlete team who earned first-team recognition in 2014. Also a repeat pick for the Capital One Academic All-District V first team, Smith graduated last month with his degree in finance. While sporting a 3.54 cumulative grade point average, Smith also produced on the diamond by hitting .331 with 29 RBI's. Smith finished ninth in The Valley with his .331 batting average and he was second for the Braves with 27 walks and 41 runs scored.
The trio of Valley Scholar-Athletes helped Bradley to a breakthrough season that saw the Braves (36-21) win more games than any Bradley team since 1996, advance to the NCAA Baseball Championship for the first time since 1968 and win a NCAA postseason game for the first time since 1956. Bradley Baseball's showing on the field also coincided with an impressive performance in the classroom as the Braves combined for a 3.00 team semester grade point average during the 2015 Spring semester, giving the squad a 3.07 cumulative team GPA.
