COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team had 13 Mountain Lions earn RMAC All-Academic honors on Wednesday including junior Matt Berg and senior Matt Clarke who were voted to the RMAC All-Academic First Team, as announced by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

First Team All-Academic team members were voted on by the conference's sports information directors. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must have been an active student at the institution for at least two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters. Due to the shortened season, first team nominations and voting included the student-athletes career statistics.
 
All student-athletes who meet those requirements, but were not voted First Team, automatically qualify for Honor Roll.

From Loveland, Colo., Matt Berg makes his way onto the RMAC All-Academic First Team for the first time in his career as the junior boasts a 3.798 GPA as a Finance major. The 2019 RMAC Summit Award winner was off to a hot start in 2020 as he maintained a team high .379 batting average while also leading the team in hits (27) and RBI (18). From a career standpoint, Berg has batted .335 in three years as a Mountain Lion with 46 RBI, 76 hits, 15 doubles and seven home runs. Out of 10 stolen base attempts, Berg has claimed seven stolen bases as the junior holds a .502 slugging percentage and a .966 fielding percentage in 69 games played (61 games started) as an outfielder.

A senior Finance major, Matt Clarke earns his first RMAC All-Academic award as he makes his way onto the first team with a 3.694 GPA. Clarke played his second season as a Mountain Lion in 2020 where he holds a career .348 batting average in 66 games played and started. The Sacramento, Calif. native has drove in 44 RBI off 94 hits including 34 extra base hits. Clarke has 25 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs in the black & gold as he set the single season doubles record in 2019 (20). In the field, the starting second basemen holds an impressive .973 fielding percentage. Clarke adds RMAC All-Academic Firs Team to an already stout resume that includes ABCA/Rawlings All-America Third Team, NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention, ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team, NCBWA All-Region First Team, D2CCA All-Region First Team, and All-RMAC First Team.

On the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, the Mountain Lions had 11 student-athletes earn an honor roll selection.

From Longmont, Colo., Dagin Renck claims his second consecutive RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll selection after boasting a 3.914 GPA as a Sport Management major. In his three seasons as a Mountain Lion, Renck has made 37 career appearances and thrown 38.1 innings of action where he holds a 4-2 record as a relief pitcher. Renck has also added one save as he's tallied a total of 32 strikeoutsand holds a 4.46 ERA in the black & gold.

A junior from Greeley, Colo., Jonathan Cowles holds a 3.546 GPA as an Accounting major to earn his second career honor roll selection. A starting pitcher in a talented UCCS rotation, Cowles has 27 appearances (23 starts) with 143 innings pitched as he registers a 4.66 ERA. Cowles was off to a stellar start in 2020 with a 3-0 record and a 2.70 ERA as he fanned 30 batters, just 19 strikeouts shy of his season high in 2019 (49). Cowles' perfect 2020 record improves his career record on the mound to 11-8 as he adds 101 strikeouts and four complete games in the black & gold.

A member of the first four-year class in the program's history, Tyler Matheny garners his second RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll selection after earning a 3.571 GPA as a Communications major. In 68 games played (59 games started) the Colorado Springs native boasts a .307 batting average with 38 runs driven in off 66 hits. Matheny also adds 42 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, one home runs, and seven stolen bases to his offensive stat line. As an outfielder, Matheny registered 96 putouts and four assists to record a .971 fielding percentage.

An everyday starter for the Mountain Lions, Matt McDermott claims his third RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll selection with a 3.412 GPA as a Sport Management major. A member of the first four-year class in the program' history, McDermott has played and started in 168 of the program's 169 games. At the plate, McDermott has been an offensive machine with 111 career RBI and 120 runs scored. The Aurora, Colo. native also holds a career .315 batting average off 181 hits including 41 doubles, eight triples, and 17 home runs. The senior's eye-popping stats continue with 28 stolen bases in 29 attempts as the shortstop posts a .959 fielding percentage. McDermott's stellar play has earned him D2CCA All-America Second Team, D2CCA All-Region First Team, NCBWA All-Region Second Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team, RMAC Gold Glove selection, and All-RMAC First Team.

Maintaining a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA, redshirt sophomore Henry Ryan holds a 3.944 GPA as a Sport Management major. In his short time in the black & gold, Ryan has played in 16 games while starting six games. The Ward, Colo. native has shown patience at the plate as he's recorded five hits, a double, and an RBI as he's drawn five walks to record 10 runs scored. As a utility player, Ryan has posted a .979 fielding percentage as he slides into his second career RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll selection.

Also making his way onto the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll for the second consecutive year, Alex Bates posts a 3.482 GPA as an International Business major to earn another honor roll selection. From Ruidoso, N.M., Bates has performed for the Mountain Lions both in the infield and the outfield as the junior holds a.240 batting average in 17 games played (six games started). Bates has notched two RBI off six hits, two doubles, and four walks as he registers nine runs scored in is career.

As a Sport Management major, sophomore Michael Bennin makes his first career appearance on the RMAC All-Academic team as he earns an honor roll selection with a 3.958 GPA. A catcher for the Mountain Lions, Bennin has played in 26 games and started behind the dish in 22 games where he has recorded a .988 fielding percentage. The Murrieta, Calif. native has been equally impressive at the plate with a .303 career average including 23 hits, six doubles and nine home runs. Bennin has been an RBI machine as he's recorded mor RBI than hits in his two years as a Mountain Lion with 26 total RBI. Back on April 30, 2018 Bennin earned RMAC Player of the Week after batting .600 on the weekend as he finished 6-for-10 against then ranked #25 Colorado School of Mines with four home runs and 10 RBI.

Holding a 3.746 GPA as a Finance major, redshirt freshman Zac Dammel earns a spot on the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll. The Lone Tree, Colo. native recorded at-bats in two games this season where he started one game as the designated hitter. Dammel recorded a double and two runs scored this season as he posted a .333 average on the year.

Sophomore JJ Rytz claims his first RMAC All-Academic award as the Finance major boasts a 3.643 GPA to make it onto the honor roll. A reliever for UCCS, Rytz has made eight career appearances and has recorded 7.1 innings pitched. The Encinitas, Calif. native has fanned four batters as he posts a 4.91 ERA and holds opponents to a .276 batting average.

From San Diego, Calif., Jon Sotto posts a 3.329 GPA as a Business Management major to earn an Honor Roll selection on the 2020 RMAC All-Academic Team. In 16 career appearances as a relief pitcher, Sotto has a 4-4 record where he holds opponents to a .269 batting average. The six-foot and three-inch right hander has recorded 19.1 innings pitched where he has tallied 18 strikeouts, including two separate occasions where Sotto struck out three batters in two innings of action.

A Yorba Linda, Calif. native, Jake Anderson registers a 3.421 GPA as a Criminal Justice to earn his first career RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll selection. An everyday starter at the hot corner for the Mountain Lions, Anderson has played and started in 68 games over the past two seasons. Anderson has consistently hit in the middle part of the lineup where the senior has produced for the Mountain Lions by hitting a career .375 with 97 hits, 17 doubles, and seven home runs to hold a .544 slugging percentage. With 28 walks and seven stolen bases under his belt, Anderson has driven in an impressive 61 RBI while posting a .436 on base percentage. After having a monster year in 2019 with a .375 average and team high 51 RBI, Anderson was voted to the All-RMAC First Team.

Before the 2020 season abruptly ended, the Mountain Lions had an 11-6 overall record (4-0 RMAC) as they ended on a nine-game win streak after a conference sweep of Colorado Christian University. UCCS ranked third in the conference in batting average (.307) and doubles (41) as they led the conference in stolen bases (33). Defensively, the Mountain Lions held the third lowest ERA at 4.01 as they allowed the least amount of hits (123) and had the highest fielding percentage in the conference (.969).