Five Bulldogs Earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Honors

FULL COLLEGE SPORTS COMMUNICATORS RELEASE

GREENWOOD, Ind. - Five UNC Asheville Baseball players earned Academic All-District® honors from College Sports Communicators, announced by the organization today (Tuesday, June 4).
Junior Robbie Burnett, graduate Kohl Abrams, graduate Justin Needles, junior Cole Schiff and junior Jacob Williams all earned the award for UNC Asheville. To qualify, a student-athlete must:

Be at least a sophomore both athletically and academically
Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50
Must either appear in 90 percent of athletic contests or start in 66 percent of athletic contests for the year. Pitchers must appear in a minimum of 17 games OR pitch a minimum of 25 innings on the year.

Burnett played and started in all 50 games in 2024, finishing second on the team with a .323 batting average, fifth in the Big South Conference in slugging percentage (.656), fourth in on-base percentage (.454), fourth in OPS (1.110), ninth in runs scored (57), 10^th in runs batted in (45) and second in home runs (18). He also finished tied for eighth in the league in stolen bases (15). Burnett was the Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year, as well as a First Team All-Conference selection at the conclusion of the season.

This is Burnett's second career Academic All-District honor. The Franklinton, N.C. native holds a 3.70 grade point average in management.

Abrams appeared in 49 games this season, making 48 starts. He hit .219 on the season with 39 hits and 33 runs scored along with 11 doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI.

This is Abrams's second career Academic All-District honor. The Cary, N.C. native graduated from UNC Asheville with a bachelor's degree in management with a double minor in accounting and economics with a 3.56 grade point average.

Schiff appeared in 15 games on the season, making 12 starts. He posted a 3-2 record with 53 strikeouts on the season. Schiff was UNC Asheville's honoree on the 2024 Big South Conference All-Academic Team.

This is Schiff's second career Academic All-District honor. The Wake Forest, N.C. native holds a 3.94 grade point average in health and wellness promotion.

Williams appeared in 17 games this season, posting a 3.38 earned run average in 13.1 innings with 12 strikeouts.

This is Williams's first career Academic All-District honor. The Raleigh, N.C. native holds a 3.52 grade point average with a double major in accounting and management.

Needles appeared in 17 games this season, logging 39.2 innings with two saves and 38 strikeouts.

This is Needles's first career Academic All-District honor. The Wyncote, Pa. native graduated from UNC Asheville with a bachelor's degree in economics with a minor in management, with a 3.82 grade point average.