GREENVILLE, S.C. – Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, the Mid-America Christian baseball team was also recognized academically with seven student-athletes receiving National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Scholar-Athlete honors on Thursday.
To be selected to the NCCAA Scholar-Athlete list, a student-athlete must be at least a junior academically and have completed at least one semester at the affiliated institution while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or better.
The seven MACU baseball honorees included Leonel Bejaran-Specht, Joshua Fernandez, Andres Gonzalez, Elvis Polanco, Pedro Reyes, Frank Souza and Ryan Wimbush.
Starting in center field for the Evangels, Bejaran-Specht competed in 30 games and made 28 starts during the 2020 campaign. The Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic native batted .211 from the plate with 16 runs scored and 13 RBIs while leading the team in walks drawn (17) and stolen bases (12).
Bejaran-Specht is a Business Administration major at MACU and is posting a 3.958 GPA.
In his first season with the Evangels, Fernandez has stepped up as a starting first baseman and designated hitter in the MACU lineup. The Hondo, Texas product slashed .213 from the plate while ripping three double and two home runs, driving in 20 RBIs and scoring 19 runs. Fernandez had a fine season defensively playing at the corner, recording the ninth-best fielding percentage in the program's NAIA era at .983 after committing just three errors in 169 chances.
A double-major in Biology and Ministry Leadership at Mid-America Christian, Fernandez has posted a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA.
Gonzalez started the season at second base for the Evangels before missing a portion of the spring season due to injury before returning to the MACU lineup on Feb. 20. In his first season at MACU, the Toronto, Ontario, Canada native batted .351 with five doubles and a triple while scoring 18 runs and driving in 10.
Academically, Gonzalez has accumulated a 3.934 GPA while pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Biology.
A junior pitcher from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Polanco allowed three earned runs in 0.2 innings against Houston-Victoria on Feb. 8 in his second season with the program.
Polanco is a Business Administration major and possesses a cumulative GPA of 3.625.
Reyes was one of the unquestioned leaders in the MACU rotation. The junior starter went 3-2 with a 4.32 ERA in seven appearances and four starts. The Havana, Cuba product finished second on the team with 34 strikeouts over 25 innings of work.
In his second season with the program, Reyes has recorded a 3.872 GPA with a major in Business Administration.
Working out of the starting rotation and the bullpen, Souza finished the 2020 campaign with a 4.50 ERA and a 2-1 record over eight appearances and four starts. A righty from Choctaw, Okla., Souza tallied 26 strikeouts and walked only nine over 28 innings.
Souza is pursuing a Business Administration degree at MACU and has turned in a 3.509 GPA thus far in his college career.
Rounding out the honorees, Wimbush was one of the Evangels top pitchers in the starting rotation. In his first season with the Evangels, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. native recorded the ninth-best ERA in a single season during the program's NAIA era, finishing with a 3.99 ERA and a 4-1 record over seven appearances and six starts. Wimbush punched out 29 batters over 29.1 innings of work while allowing just a .254 opponent batting average.
Wimbush is studying Digital Marketing at Mid-America Christian, posting a 3.466 cumulative GPA.
Despite the season being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mid-America Christian finished with its best record since joining the NAIA in 2008 by going 21-10 (.677).
