Bontempo and McKendall earn All-America nods
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bellevue University seniors Derik Bontempo and Ben McKendall have been named First Team All-Americans as announced today by the NAIA. The NAIA First Team and Second Team each consisted of 17 players with a further 34 making up the Honorable Mention Team.
Bontempo – an outfielder from Federal Way, Wash. – was previously named the North Star Athletic Association Player of the Year after putting up strong numbers across the board. He led the team in 11 major offensive categories; batting average (.436), on-base percentage (.498), slugging percentage (.821), hits (95), runs (69), doubles (21), home runs (19), extra-base hits (43), RBI (72), total bases (179), and sac flies (8).
McKendall – a starting pitcher from Los Angeles, Calif. – was previously named the North Star Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year after leading the team in complete games (5), shutouts (4), innings pitched (95.0) and strikeouts (103). He owned a 9-1 record on the season while posting a 2.18 ERA and registering nine quality starts in 14 starting opportunities.
The All-America nod is the first for Bontempo and the second for McKendall who earned second team accolades last season as a junior.
Bellevue wrapped up the 2017 campaign with a 51-11 overall record. The Bruins went 23-1 in NSAA play, taking home the conference regular-season crown and advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the 19th time in school history. BU was ranked No. 2 in the final NAIA Regular-Season Top 25 Poll.