PEMBROKE, N.C. – Over the weekend, the National College Baseball Writers Association announced its Division II Preseason All-America teams. Oklahoma Baptist seniors
Dan Pruitt (First Team) and
Kade Self (Third Team) were among those selected, marking the first time since 2017 that a Bison player earned preseason All-America recognition.
Previously, OBU Hall of Famer Jinny Parry was a Baseball America honoree in January of 2017.
Coming into the 2023 campaign, Pruitt and Self were among the best hitters in the country.
Last season, Pruitt, a first baseman, was second in the country in slugging (.909), tied a school record with 24 home runs, drove in 68, was the GAC Player of the Year and made two different postseason All-America awards lists. The Oklahoma City native was also an All-GAC Defensive Team selection and made two different (D2CCA, NCBWA) All-Region teams.
For Pruitt, he is the first Bison player to ever attain three All-America certificates. Previously, Parra earned two NCCAA accolades in 2016 and 2017 while Matt Page, Anthony Lopez, Josh Collazo and Gene Hacker were two-time NAIA All-Americans.
As the Bison's leading designated hitter, Self was a NCBWA Honorable Mention All-America selection in 2022 and an All-GAC First-Team member. He ranked in the top three of the GAC in batting average (.397) and slugging (.769) while collecting 62 hits, 15 doubles and 13 homers. At one point last season, he tied the school record with eight RBI against East Central.
After the opening weekend of play, OBU went 1-2 during Central Oklahoma's First Pitch Classic. Coming up this week, the green and gold will venture to the Henderson State Invitational from Feb. 10-12 and play McKendree, Missouri Western State and Newman.
