EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana senior outfielder Manny Lopez was named second-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The honor is the first for Lopez and the fifth in the history of the USI Baseball program.
  
To be eligible for CoSIDA's Academic All-America program, the student athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution (true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and first-year athletic transfers are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
 
Due to the cancellation of the 2020 spring season, nominations were based upon career athletic statistics.
 
Lopez, a mechanical engineering major from the Dominican Republic with a 3.93 grade point average, is a career .324 hitter with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, five triples, 56 RBI, and 53 runs scored. The 2019 second-team All-GLVC and Academic All-GLVC honoree was second on the team in 2020 with a .308 average, 12 RBI, and two home runs before the season was suspended (14 games). 
 
Previous USI baseball players to be named Academic All-America are Matt Keener (first-team, 2004 and 2005), Darin Mastroianni (third-team, 2007), Brad Wannemuehler (third team, 2013), and Jacob Bowles (third team, 2014).