AUSTIN, Texas – After helping lead the Mid-America Christian baseball team to its first NCCAA World Series championship event, graduate student catcher and outfielder Yan Ely Adames was selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America First Team.
In order to be considered for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be performing at an exemplary level both on the field and in the classroom as well as be nominated by a member institution of CoSIDA.
A 6-1 catcher and outfielder from Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, Adames completed another stellar year, finishing the 2022 campaign with a .348 batting average and was the co-leader of the team in RBIs (50) while also leading the team in doubles (16) to go with a triple, five home runs and 21 runs scored to go along with a .530 slugging percentage and a .401 on-base percentage.
While already holding the program's NAIA Era single-game records for doubles (3), home runs (2) and RBIs (8), Adames added one more record in a 23-21 10-inning loss at Southern Nazarene on Apr. 12 when he went 6-for-7 with three RBIs and three runs scored to set the single-game hits record.
With his game-tying RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth against College of the Ozarks at the NCCAA World Series on May 21, Adames became the first player since MACU joined the NAIA in 2007 to finish with multiple 50 RBI seasons, going back-to-back after driving in 55 during the 2021 campaign.
In his four-year career with the Evangels, Adames holds multiple NAIA Era career records, which includes being the only MACU player to eclipse 200 hits (203), doubles (44), RBIs (147) and total bases (315).
Adames has also narrowly missed breaking a few other records in the books, finishing second in career runs (97), just one back of another Evangels legend in Felix Martinez as well as third in career home runs (22), only five away from matching MACU Player of the Decade Jerry McNew.
Over the course of his career, Adames boasted a .354 batting average, a .549 slugging percentage and a .412 on-base percentage.
Of his many career accolades, perhaps the most impressive is that Adames is the first Evangels player to not only be named to the All-Sooner Athletic Conference three times, but earned First Team honors in each of those seasons (2020, 2021, 2022).
