The OLLU baseball team has won the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the third consecutive year.
The baseball team posted a 3.198 GPA for the 2023-24 academic year. Teams from every level of college and high school baseball were honored with this year’s award, which highlights programs coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
The baseball team had more Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Scholar-Athletes – 33 – than any other Saints team.
OLLU proudly announces that 208 of its student-athletes have been honored with the prestigious Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Scholar-Athlete recognition. An additional 16 student-athletes who were on non-RRAC sanctioned cheer, dance and drumline teams also earned Scholar-Athlete recognition, bringing the total to 224, who earned a 3.0 grade point average or higher.
This recognition is awarded to student-athletes who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance while actively participating in their respective sports. This remarkable feat not only surpasses any other school in the conference but also sets a new record in OLLU’s history, underscoring the university’s unwavering dedication to academic excellence in its athletic program.
A RRAC member since 2008, OLLU led the RRAC with 208 student-athletes (18 are dual sport athletes), in addition to the 16 who were on non-RRAC sanctioned teams. The 224 total marks the most student-athletes in school history to earn scholar-athlete recognition. The cumulative GPA total for OLLU’s student-athletes was 3.20.
Athletic Director Tom Norris commented, “In the last five years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of scholar-athletes with 224 earning this recognition. We are very proud of the academic success of our student-athletes. They continue to break records and establish new standards for success academically and athletically. Our coaches recruit academically, so they, too, share this honor. This growth is a testament to our commitment to academic excellence in athletics and inspires hope for even greater achievements in the future.”
OLLU catcher Diego Zuniga has achieved a remarkable feat, earning the esteemed title of the 2023-2024 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Etier Character Male Athlete of the Year, a recognition of unparalleled honor and prestige.
Now in its eighth year, the award is given annually to one male and one female RRAC student-athlete who best represents the tenets of the NAIA Champions of Character program (respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship, and servant leadership).
The awards were posthumously named for Betty Etier, an NAIA/RRAC Hall of Famer, RRAC Eligibility Chair for 18 years, and an associate professor and faculty athletics representative at Huston-Tillotson University (Texas).
Zuniga, who just completed his sophomore year, is a junior from McAllen, Texas, and a two-year starter. He holds a 3.1 GPA in Kinesiology and was selected to be a member of the McNair Scholars Program because of his characteristics as a student-athlete and his excellence in the classroom.
The McNair program is federally funded and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, preparing Zuniga for post-graduate work through his participation in academic and community-related activities. Zuniga was installed as a catcher when he arrived at OLLU due to his leadership and the example he sets for his teammates. He plans on completing his final two years on the baseball team at OLLU before exploring a career in athletics.
OLLU missed out on its 10th Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) All-Sports Award in 2023-2024 after capturing the award for the last nine of 10 seasons. Edging out the Saints for the top award this academic year was Xavier University of Louisiana by 18 points.
Xavier finished as runners-up to the Saints in each of its first two years in the RRAC.
The Saints are tied with former RRAC member Houston Baptist University for the most awards all-time with nine.
The All-Sports Award is given annually to the RRAC athletic program that performs best across the conference’s sports in a given academic year. Points are awarded to the top five teams in regular season conference standings using a 10-8-6-4-2 scoring system, while results in conference tournaments and championship events merit additional points on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. In sports such as tennis, track and field, golf and cross country, postseason team finishes are awarded regular season and postseason points. A sport must have at least four schools participating and
Following the best season in program history, the OLLU softball team has been selected to finish first in the conference again, based on the results of the 2024 RRAC Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll. In 2023, OLLU posted a perfect 28-0 conference mark in the regular season, achieved a No. 2 ranking nationally and built a win streak of 35 games.
The Saints won the conference regular-season and tournament titles, captured the NAIA Opening Round Championship and reached the NAIA Softball World Series for the first time while posting a record of 51-8 on the season. They received seven first-place votes for this season and a total of 107.
The University of Houston-Victoria placed second in the poll and received two first-place selections and a total of 92 votes. Texas A&M University-San Antonio, which finished as the runner-up in the RRAC tournament last year, received one first-place nod, a total of 86 votes and landed in third overall.
The Saints begin their 2024 season Feb. 2-3 in Alexandria, La., playing Central Methodist University, Missouri Baptist University, Central Baptist University and Central Christian University. Their first home game is on Feb. 6 against Central Washington University.
Another year of competition in the books and the results translated into another Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) All-Sports Award for OLLU. The Saints are the 2022-2023 champions and have now tied Houston Baptist University for the most awards all-time with nine. They’ve been crowned following nine of the last 10 years.
The Saints missed out only one year in the past 10 – in the 2020-2021 “Covid Year,” when the university opted out of postseason competition. Their first All-Sport Award came in 2013-2014.
The All-Sports Award is given annually to the RRAC athletic program that performs best across the conference’s sports in a given academic year. Points are awarded to the top five teams in regular season conference standings using a 10-8-6-4-2 scoring system, while results in conference tournaments and championship events merit additional points on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis.
OLLU won with 110 points. Xavier University of Louisiana finished second (92) and Texas A&M-Texarkana was third (84).
The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) announced the 2023 RRAC Baseball All-Conference Team and player of the year awards May 4. Coaches determined the selections, with those on the first team being eligible for NAIA All-America consideration at the completion of the season.
The Saints ended the regular-season with a 20-9 RRAC record and are now 29-18 overall – they’ve won their last seven games. They won one of the top awards, plus they placed one on the all-conference first team, three on the second-team and one on the Gold Glove team.
Kalisky was named the RRAC’s Freshman of the Year.
The following are current, significant stats (top five) for all the honorees:
RRAC Freshman of the Year – Jackson Kalisky: He is having a phenomenal first year with the Saints, recording the most home runs with 12 and the most RBIs with 68 in the conference – both OLLU season records. His 68 RBIs is a tie for fourth all-time at OLLU with his brother Connor Kalisky, who played on the team from 2015-2017. Kalisky is second in the conference in slugging percentagear with .716.
Caimyn Holiday – His 51 hits are fifth best in the conference, and he has the third most doubles in the conference with 16.
Alec Martinez – He has a 6-2 record – third in the conference – and he leads the team in ERA at 2.20 the second best in the conference.
Joshua Mendez – He has the fifth most strikeouts in the conference with 62, and he is sixth in the conference in ERA with 3.73. He has a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Chase Dunn – He has two saves this season and has won two games for the Saints.
Baseball’s Brandon Betancourt was selected Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Freshman of the Year, while four other members of the Saints team were selected to the All-Conference Team.
The conference’s coaches made the selections on the eve of the RRAC championship tournament, and the awards were presented between games at Sterlington Sports Complex on May 6.
OLLU placed three players on the first team, including repeat first-team winners Jacob Mitchell and Brett Vasquez, as well as Robert Arredondo. Receiving Gold Glove recognition was Jacob Montejano, who also was the team’s Champions of Character winner.
Betancourt shares his Freshman of the Year Award with LSU-Alexandria’s William Vice.Betancourt, an outfielder, batted .386 in his first college season and drove in 19 runs.
Jacob Mitchell led the team in runs with 47, hits with 54, doubles with 17, homers with 11, RBIs with 49 and slugging with .741. He has a .378 batting average and a .497 on-base percentage.
Robert Arredondo leads the team in at-bats with 170, and he has the second-most hits with 52 and is tied with the most walks with 35. He is batting .306 and has an on-base percentage of .428 and a slugging percentage of .359.
Jacob Montejano has 48 runs, 42 hits, 10 doubles, 20 RBIs, 35 walks, a .457 on-base percentage and a .426 slugging percentage. He has 55 putouts, 89 assists and 13 double plays.
Brett Vasquez has pitched in 84 innings and has 27 earned runs with 129 strikeouts. His ERA is .289.
The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) has announced OLLU women’s basketball player Zerina Shatri as the Etier Character Athlete of the Year.
In its fifth year, the award is given annually to one male and one female RRAC student-athlete who best represent the tenets of the NAIA Champions of Character program (respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership). To be eligible, student-athletes must have been recognized as an RRAC Character Athlete of the Week during the previous academic year.
Shatri, a senior basketball player from Istog, Kosovo, earned a 3.75 GPA in kinesiology. She donated time back home and in San Antonio to assist others in the community. Shatri volunteered for the local food bank and a partnership that served ethnic minorities. She gave time to help clean her church, and she assisted a physical therapist in treating children. Shatri also participated with her teammates in visiting local hospice care and helping with the school’s basketball camp. She even cooked for families at the Ronald McDonald House. Shatri plans to become a physical therapist.
“Zerina is a very intelligent, funny and hard-working young woman,” says former OLLU women’s basketball coach Stacy Stephens. “She graduated in May. She has been on the Dean’s List almost every semester here and is the starting center for the 2020-2021 women’s basketball team. Ze loves to sightsee and embrace different cultures. She is always willing to help others and watching her grow and mature into the amazing young woman she is has been a highlight in my coaching career.”
The Saints have been honored with this award two years in a row. OLLU softball’s Kaitlyn Salazar was named RRAC Etier Character Athlete of the Year for the 2020-2021 season.
Shatri was named RRAC Character Athlete of the Week on May 25, which can be found here.
The following is from President Diane E. Melby on changes within the OLLU Saints Athletics program.
There are currently 12 schools in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) plus one with special status for a total of 13 colleges. According to RRAC Commissioner Tony Stigliano, nine or 60% have full-time Athletic Directors. Most programs with full-time Athletic Directors field seven to eight teams. OLLU has one of the largest programs in the conference with 17 teams. In fall 2020, 311 student-athletes participated in one or more competitive programs which is approximately 24 percent of OLLU’s undergraduate enrollment.
Athletics has grown in importance to the university’s enrollment and retention objectives. Therefore, effective May 1, 2021, the following changes will be made within Athletics. First, the position of Athletic Director will be converted to a full-time position. Shane Hurley, who was the first coach hired at OLLU when athletics began in 2007, currently holds a joint position of Men’s Soccer Head Coach and Athletic Director. Hurley will now serve as Athletic Director in a full-time capacity.
Second, the administration of the soccer program will be adjusted to accommodate a vacancy in the head coach position. Currently, the women’s and men’s soccer teams each have a full-time head coach and share a full-time assistant. Beginning May 1, Arthur Salazar will serve as head coach for both teams and each team will be supported by full-time assistants. Salazar started his career in 2008 assisting the men’s and women’s teams, and in 2013, he became head coach for the women’s team. That experience coupled with his record of building a winning record in both competition and academic persistence uniquely qualifies Salazar for this expansion of responsibility.
Finally, replacing the need for a full-time head coach with the hire of assistant coaches frees up funding to appoint a Senior Woman Administrator. This position is vital to the support of female athletes and has long been a priority initiative in the strategic plan for athletics. The position will be filled via internal search open to women connected to athletics and compensated by stipend.
