NAIA Announces 2023 Preseason Baseball All-America Team

NAIA Announces 2023 Preseason Baseball All-America Team

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA has announced the 17-player Preseason Baseball All-America Team, selected annually by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association (NAIA-BCA) All-America Committee. For more information on NAIA Baseball, click here.

Four starting pitchers are included as well as one relief pitcher while the list included four infielders in addition to two behind the dish. The outfield features four players and the last two spots go to a utility player and a designated hitter.

This season, six student-athletes were selected as First Team All-American's last spring including National Pitcher of the Year Robb Adams. Seven more were named to the Second Team of the All-America list, while the final four members were recognized as Honorable Mentions. There are no carry overs from the preseason list last year. 

The list this year features two pairs of teammates with the reigning National Champion Fire of Southeastern (Fla.) placing Adams and Gary Lora while Bellevue (Neb.) is represented by Alec Ackerman and Kanta Kobayashi. Ten of the student-athletes are in their senior campaign, six in their junior season and Carlos Muniz of Cumberlands (Ky.) as the only underclassmen in the group.

Of the 19 conferences sponsoring baseball in the NAIA, 12 are represented on the 2022 edition of the Preseason All-America Team. The Crossroads League leads the way with three recipients, followed by The Sun Conference, Sooner Athletic Conference, and North Star Athletic Association with two each. There are single members from the American Midwest, Appalachian, Cascade, Chicagoland, Heart of America, Mid-South, Red River, and River States. 

Position Name School Year Hometown
1B Eric Maffie St. Francis (Ill.) Sr. Coal Valley, Ill.
2B Jonah Hultberg College of Idaho Jr. Boise, Idaho
3B Trevor Campbell Indiana University Southeast Sr. Louisville, Ky.
SS Robbie Merced Central Methodist (Mo.) Sr. Springfield, Mo.
C Carlos Muniz Cumberlands (Ky. So. Naranjito, Puerto Rico
C Indy Stanley Columbia (Mo.)  Jr. Cumming, Ga.
OF Kanta Kobayashi Bellevue (Neb.) Sr. Tokyo, Japan
OF Tucker Zdunich Reinhardt (Ga.) Jr. High River, Alberta, Canada
OF Evan Salmon Indiana Wesleyan Sr. Des Moines, Iowa
OF TJ Bass Taylor (Ind.) Sr. Greenwood, Ind.
SP   Robb Adams Southeastern (Fla.) Sr. Arcadia, Fla.
SP Eli Davis Oklahoma City Sr. Shawnee, Okla.
SP Bobby Vath LSU Shreveport (La.) Jr. Coram, N.Y.
SP Michael Watson Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) Jr. Glen Rose, Texas
RP Cruz McFadden Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) Jr. Chillicothe, Ohio
UTL Alec Ackerman Bellevue (Neb.) Sr. Parker, Colo.
DH Gary Lora Southeastern (Fla.) Sr. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

  

Championship Information

baseball

69th ANNUAL
BASEBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

World Series
May 22-30, 2026
Lewis-Clark State College
Lewiston, Idaho

Opening Round
May 11-14, 2026
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