RICHARDSON, Texas – East Texas Baptist represents with the second annual American Southwest Conference Man and Woman of the Year awards,
Jake Miller and
Ashley Croft. ETBU has now had consecutive ASC Woman of the Year awards and Croft will be the fifth student-athlete from the institution to be the ASC Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
In addition, Miller and Croft advance as the ASC nominees for the region and national Division III Man and Woman of the Year awards to be selected by the Division III Commissioners Association.
The annual conference awards, ASC Man and Woman of the Year honors is presented to a graduating student-athlete who has distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community and campus service, and leadership. Selected by the Council of Senior Woman Administrators, the Man and Woman of the Year awards are among the highest individual honors presented to a student in the Conference.
Miller, a shortstop for the baseball program out of North Richland Hills, Texas, finished with a Masters of Business Administration with a 4.00 grade-point-average. Miller was an All-ASC Honorable Mention, on the ASC All-Tournament Team, D3baseball.com Team of the Week, and NCBWA National Hitter of the Week Honorable Mention. Miller was also on the ABCA All-Defensive Team for Region X. In 2021, Miller was an All-ASC First Team and ASC Hitter of the Week. He did get named to ABCA All-Region Second Team and D3baseball.com All-Region Second Team.
Miller contributed to a historic campaign for Tigers’ baseball, leading the team to a record setting 42 wins and third place finish in the NCAA Division III World Series. Miller had key performances that propelled ETBU past its first Super Regional, Regional, and ASC Tournament championships.
For the season in 56 games played, Miller batted .327, 46 runs scored, 56 hits, 16 doubles, five home runs, 46 runs-batted-in, five stolen bases, slugged a .509 percentage, and had 87 total bases. Miller ranked tied for first in the conference for doubles, ninth in RBI, and 10th in total bases.
In the classroom, Miller was named 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District. He is a four-time ASC Academic All-Conference member and five-times on the President’s List (2018-21). Miller did graduate Cum Laude in 2021 and was on the Provost’s list in 2018. Miller earned Robert E. Craig Christian Athlete award from ETBU for academics and athletics in 2022. Finally, he was voted to wear No. 16 jersey (James Morgan Award) for four years by teammates for Miller’s character, athletic play, and academics.
In the community, Miller was the ETBU Student Engagement graduate assistant from 2021-23 where he helped with and planned campus activities. This past academic year, Miller served as the FCA Campus Vice President, and has been a FCA Campus Group Leader from 2020-23. Miller also has organized and led youth baseball camps, sent letters of encouragement to children in hospitals through FCA, served in leadership for church camps, and coordinated other community service events and projects during his career at East Texas Baptist. These opportunities include: Marshall Airport Park ballpark clean up, painting new light posts in downtown Marshall, ETBU Tiger Camp Leader, Operation Christmas Child, Boys and Girls Club of the Big Pines, and summer camp coach for Southlake Carroll Senior High camps.
Croft, utility player/pitcher from the softball program that is from Cypress, Texas, earned her Bachelor’s in Rehabilitative Science this May and finished Summa Cum Laude with a 3.90 GPA. Croft finished final seven semesters at ETBU on President’s List with a 4.0 GPA.
Croft earned NFCA All-American Third Team as a utility player and pitcher and was NFCA All-Region First Team. Croft was also ASC Pitcher of the Year, All-ASC First Team, ASC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and NFCA Pitcher of the Year Watchlist, ASC Hitter of the Week and ASC Pitcher of the Week. In 2021-22, Croft was All-ASC Third Team. In 2020-21, Croft earned NFCA West All-Region First Team, All-ASC First Team, NFCA National Pitcher of the Week, and was two-time ASC Pitcher of the Week. All three seasons with the Tigers, Croft was part of a top 25 nationally ranked program.
Croft’s effort in the lineup and in the circle helped continue ETBU’s softball success in the ASC by winning its 11th title and hosting a third straight NCAA Marshall, Texas, Regional Tournament. The Tigers went 39-7 overall, which included a 22-5 record against the ASC. Croft delivered eight innings in the circle of the tournament-clinching contest. The first seven innings were scoreless and Croft had a key single that was part of a three-run bottom of the eighth to hoist the conference title banner and trophy.
Croft statistically dazzled on both sides of the diamond with a 19-2 pitching record, 1.49 earned run average, 21 appearances, 12 complete games, a no-hitter, 112.2 innings pitched, 26 walks allowed, and 58 strikeouts. She hit .373 batting average, 37 RBI, five doubles, eight home runs, 67 total bases, 20 runs, 38 hits, and a .657 slugging percentage. Her 19 wins ranked 19th nationally and led the conference. She also was top 10 in home runs (2nd), RBI (4th), ERA (3rd), games started (4th), complete games (5th), shutouts (5th), and strikeouts (9th).
Croft got recognized often for her academics, as she was tabbed 2023 Third Team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American and Academic All-District. She was inducted to Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honors Society in Social Sciences, and to Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society, a national scholar-athlete society to have student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and athletic competition. Croft was a 2023 ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor. In 2022, Croft earned TOBY Awards Highest Team GPA at ETBU and was awarded the Transfer Honor Scholarship and Christian Leadership Scholarship. In 2021, Croft was recognized with the School of Professional Studies Rising Star Award, which is given to students in the School of Professional Studies that display a promising academic and professional future. Croft also was a member of Chemistry Club and had those same scholarships from the aforementioned year.
Croft got out in the community this past year by helping with Mission Marshall Food Bank. She had an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Australia with the softball team. While with the team, Croft served food at Lobethal Community and went caroling at the live nativity scene in Lobethal Australia. She also served at Living Hope Church and SecondBites in Australia, which included helping with food pantry and wrapping presents. The final thing overseas was putting on a Softball Clinic to help teach sport skills and shared testimony with over 30 children. Croft was also able to volunteer at Woodard Elementary School to help in the library and create decorations for their book fair. In 2022, ETBU softball earned NAD3AA Community Service Award for their Pen Pale program during CoVID. Croft also was able to complete 120 observation hours at Star Physical Therapy and 60 observation hours at Oakbend Physical Therapy, both located in Cypress, Texas. In three years, Croft was a Bible Study Member and Servant Leader with the softball team and participated in Operation Christmas Card.
Prior to coming to ETBU, Croft was at UT Tyler in 2019-20 and was involved in its FCA and was Bible Study Leader for its softball team. She also volunteered at Tyler Rose Special Olympics.
2022-23 Man and Woman of the Year Nominees
Graduating student-athletes nominated by their institution for the ASC Man and Woman of the Year award
# Award Recipient
Men
# Jake Miller – Baseball, East Texas Baptist
Ian Craigie – Baseball, Sul Ross State
Julian Lee – Tennis, LeTourneau
Trent Sakakini – Cross Country/Track and Field, UT Dallas
Women
# Ashley Croft – Softball, East Texas Baptist
Karen Alvarez – Golf, UT Dallas
Kiersten Reeser – Soccer, LeTourneau
Nadia Valverde – Softball, Sul Ross State