ABCA All-America Team

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University senior outfielder / pitcher Michael Kitko was named to the 2026 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America Team, the organization announced Friday.
 
Kitko earned third team All-America honors as a utility player. Friday's award comes on the heels of Kitko being a consensus first team all-region selection by the ABCA, Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as well as being first team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division choice.
 
In earning All-America accolades, Kitko becomes the 25th athlete in program history to be bestowed with the honor. Slippery Rock has now had at least one All-American in 15 of the past 16 years in which postseason awards have been distributed.
 
Kitko was one of four athletes from the PSAC to be named to the ABCA All-America Team. He was joined on the exclusive list by relief pitcher Joe Morrissey (Millersville / Second Team), third baseman Brady McGuire (Seton Hill / Third Team) and starting pitcher Julian Costa (West Chester / Third Team).
 
An all-around student-athlete, Kitko also recently graduated magna cum laude from The Rock with a bachelor's degree in exercise science holding a 3.71 GPA. As such, he will also be a strong contender to be named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team later in the summer.
 
2026 was a career-year for Kitko, who hit .403 with a .441 on-base percentage and a .585 slugging percentage to go along with 25 runs, six home runs and 44 RBIs.
 
Indicative of such an impressive batting average, Kitko led SRU with 18 multi-hit games this season. He also ranked sixth in the PSAC in batting average, sixth in hits per game (1.36), seventh in hits (64), and 13th in RBI. With just one strikeout every 19.9 at-bats, Kitko was slotted seventh in Division II in the NCAA's "toughest to strikeout" statistic.
 
Kitko's .403 batting average and 64 hits were tied for the second highest in a single season by a Rock athlete over the last decade.
 
In addition to his 44 starts as a position player, Kitko also made nine pitching appearances, going 2-2 with 27 strikeouts in 25.2 innings of work.
 
Kitko leaves Slippery Rock having started 133 games in the field and as a .349 career hitter (158-for-453) with 76 runs, 11 home runs and 99 RBIs. In 30 career pitching appearances, the product of Moshannon Valley High School went 8-3 with five saves and a 3.53 ERA across 74 innings. He struck out 86 batters at The Rock while issuing just 29 walks.
 
The ABCA All-America Team is voted on by members of the ABCA and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Division II All-America Committee.
 
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 40 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.
 
Slippery Rock recently completed its 2026 season with a 30-18 record, for what was the program's third 30-win season in the last five years, while advancing to the PSAC Tournament.
 
 



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