RICHARDSON, TX (06.23.21) - UT Dallas senior centerfielder
Jacob Perry was one of nine players from across the country to be recognized Wednesday as he was listed on the 2021 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III Gold Glove Team.
FULL ABCA RELEASE
A native of of Mesquite, Perry was a consensus third team all-region selection for the Comets while helping the squad to American Southwest Conference regular season and tournament titles as well as a third-ever trip to the NCAA D-III National Championship this spring. He collected All-ASC honors for the second time in his career last month, picking up first team honors. Defensively, Perry committed just one error in 134 total chances in the outfield this season. He had four outfield assists this spring and was a part of a pair of double plays for the Comets.
Perry ranked second on the squad with a .384 average while boasting a 20-game hitting streak late in the season. He finished the year with a team-high five triples, adding 14 doubles and three home runs. A second-team All-ASC pick in 2019, he shared the team lead for runs scored (54) and had 27 RBI while leading the team with 22 stolen bases.
Perry becomes the first-ever Comet to be named to the NCAA D-III Gold Glove Team and just the sixth place from the ASC to earn the distinction.
The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove awards are selected by ABCA coaches committees at each level: NCAA Div. I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Div. I, II and III, Pacific Association Division, and High School. Due to varying start dates from COVID-19 protocols, high school honorees will be selected and named later this summer. The ABCA/Rawlings Award Program is one of the most comprehensive in all of sports, awarding All-America Teams and Gold Glove Teams in nine divisions of amateur baseball as well as All-Region Teams in five divisions.
The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams date back to 1949 starting with one collegiate All-America Team. Other divisions subsequently added until the current total of nine was reached. The first ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Teams were recognized in 2007, making this the 14th year the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards have been presented in the collegiate and high school ranks. The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.
