SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (May 6) – California (PA) senior pitcher Michael Valente repeated as the recipient of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion Scholar Award on Wednesday morning at the baseball championships hosted by Slippery Rock at Jack Critchfield Park.

Valente currently boasts a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) while completing a degree in management with a minor in marketing. Due to an injury, Valente has been limited to just 2.0 innings pitched in one relief appearance this season.

The Vulcans have now earned the honor 23 times since its inception in the 2011-12 academic year, including five student-athletes who have been recognized multiple times with Valente becoming the first baseball player to accomplish the feat. Overall, a Cal baseball student-athlete has received the award four times since it was established.

The PSAC Champion Scholar Award is modeled after the NCAA Elite 90 Award and recognizes the student-athlete with the highest GPA competing at the site of each of the PSAC's 22 team championship finals. The selection criteria for the Champion Scholar mirrors that of the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which honor the student-athlete with the top GPA at each of the championship final sites of the 90 championships across all three NCAA divisions.