Williamsburg, KY – University of the Cumberlands Baseball had one Patriot among the 13-person team that represent CoSIDA 2021-22 Academic All-American First Team that was announced by CoSIDA officials Wednesday afternoon. Sean Cheely earned first team honors after maintaining a 4.0 throughout the year while earning multiple all-conference awards.

The Austell, GA native has been the Patriots leadoff centerfielder. He earned first team all-conference honor and was a gold glove winner. Cheely made the Dean's List both semesters this year. For the year, he batted .336 for the year while leading the team and the Mid-South in stolen bases with 47. That mark also had him finish in fifth in the NAIA and put him in second on the Pats history book for stolen bases in a season. Along with leading the way on the base paths, Cheely has recorded 83 hits which puts him tied for sixth place on the single season hit record list. Of his 83 hits, 16 being doubles, four were triples, eight was homeruns, for a total of 51 RBIs. He also got it done defensively, as he posted a .992 fielding percentage with 130 putouts and two assists while making one error the whole season.

Cumberlands posted a 46-16 record this season and topped the season off with their second straight MSC Conference Title for the first time in program history. By winning the conference title, UC earned an automatic bid to the Kingsport Bracket in the NAIA National Tournament, where they made it all the way to the Championship if necessary game before falling short to Tennessee Wesleyan.

For Cheely, he earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors which made him eligible to earn Academic All-American First-team honors. The 2021-22 Academic All-District Baseball Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes baseball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

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