Aaron Ras of Wayne State College was named the 2019 NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for baseball prior to the start of the 2019 NSIC Baseball Tournament Thursday afternoon in St. Cloud, Minn.
He is the first Wildcat to earn the NSIC Elite 18 Award since its inception in 2016-17. The NSIC Elite 18 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC’s 18 Championships.
Ras, a sophomore left-handed pitcher, maintains a 4.0 grade-point average majoring in psychology. On the field this season, Ras has made 15 appearances with seven starts and owns a 3-3 record with a 4.91 ERA. He has thrown 33 innings and has recorded 46 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .216 batting average. Ras struck out a season-high eight batters in a four-inning start at Fort Hays State Feb. 14 that resulted in a 13-7 Wildcat win. He also fired three innings of scoreless relief with four strikeouts to earn the victory in a 4-3 win over No. 24 Augustana on April 27.
Last season, Ras was named the school's Male Freshman Athlete of the Year after going 5-2 in 10 starts with a 4.02 ERA to rank second on the team in earned run average.
The NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted during the 2016-17 academic year as part of the NSIC 25th anniversary celebration to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers.
