LAKELAND, Fla. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced its 2018 Baseball All-American team. After earning the first NAIA national championship in school history, the Southeastern University baseball team placed three athletes on the list.
Junior left-handed pitcher Jonathan Bermudez was named the NAIA National Pitcher of the Year, the first player in program history to earn the distinction. He also was named to the First Team honor roll.
Bermudez turned in a historic season on the mound for SEU, going 15-2 with a 1.95 ERA, 153 strikeouts, and a .178 opponent batting average. The marks in wins and strikeouts were single-season program records.
The Coamo, Puerto Rico native was a perfect 2-0 in the Avista-NAIA World Series, tossing a complete game versus Oklahoma City before fanning 12 in a 7.1 inning performance versus host school Lewis-Clark State. Bermudez also tossed a nine-inning no-hitter versus Sun Conference foe Warner on 3/23 in which he punched out 16.
Junior utility player Dan Valerio was a Second Team placer after hitting .390 at the plate with 27 doubles, 17 home runs, 84 runs batted in, and 29 stolen bases. His total in RBIs set a new single-season program record.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jordan Scott rounded out the list of accolades for SEU, earning an honorable mention. Scott finished the year 14-1 with a 2.40 ERA, 108 strikeouts, and .230 opponent batting average. The Atlanta, Georgia native earned the winning decision in his last 10 consecutive starts.
Be sure to follow @SEUFireBaseball on Twitter and like SEU Fire Athletics on Facebook to relive every moment from the Fire’s 2018 National Championship season.