Greenville, SC: The NCCAA is pleased to recognize Kaiden Zacharias of Asbury University as the 2022 Hank Burbridge Award recipient for Baseball.    
 
A native of Alberta, Canada, Kaiden Zacharias has been a versatile threat for the Eagles. Holding a current batting average of .336, Zacharias tallied 43 hits, 35 RBI’s, and 9 homeruns to close out the regular season. The outfielder boasts a current fielding percentage of 1.000 and has helped his team to a 25-win season.  Zacharias was chosen by his teammates and coaches as a captain which speaks volumes to how he is viewed within the Eagle’s program.
 
The senior’s leadership extends beyond the baseball field as Zacharias has come to understand the importance of using the game of baseball as a platform to spread the Gospel. Zacharias spent the summer of 2021 with FCA SoCal Shepards, running four weeklong camps in various locations throughout Southern California, using baseball as a way of teaching kids about Jesus Christ. He was a lead coach for four separate teams, leading as many as 48 kids throughout the summer, showing them how to improve their baseball skills and how to grow closer to God. The senior studies Exercise Science and boast a 3.37 GPA. At the conclusion of last season, Zacharias was honored as Academic All-Conference and then earned a place on Asbury University’s Academic Honor Roll this past fall.
 
Head Coach Manny Cervantes states, “Kaiden embodies the servant-leader model we hope to instill in all our players. He’s trustworthy, a hard-worker, and thinks of others before himself.”
 
Other Finalist
Joshua Fernandez, Mid-America Christian University
 
Award Description
Hank Burbridge was the baseball coach at Spring Arbor University for 40 years and amassed a record of 1003 wins and 519 losses. Hank was named NCCAA District/Regional Coach of the Year twelve times, NCCAA National Coach of the Year on four occasions, and was inducted in to the NCCAA Hall of Fame in 1993. His Cougar baseball teams won multiple NCCAA and NAIA District Championships and were crowned NCCAA National Champions in 1992, 1993, and 1998. Hank was a mentor and leader in NCCAA and NAIA baseball networks as well as within USA Baseball. He never missed an opportunity to share Christ or to encourage all who came in contact with him. The NCCAA is proud to present this award in recognition of Hank Burbridge’s legacy of service.
 

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