by Alan Babbitt

Shortstop Brant Kym closed his Hope College baseball career with a championship season on the field and another stellar performance in the classroom.

The business and economics major joins a proud group of Flying Dutchmen student-athletes to be voted to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America® Baseball Team for NCAA Division III. 

Kym, who recently graduated, was voted to the first team as an infielder.

Teammate Evan Maday also made the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team® as a second-team outfielder.

This marks the second time two Flying Dutchmen teammates were selected for the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team® in the same season. Tom Bylsma and Randy Cutler both earned the honor in 1995.

Kym and Maday join previous Hope recipients in baseball: Landon Brower (2018), Cory Schmidt (2013), Michael Meeuwsen (1998), Mark Kuiper (1995, 1994), Bylsma (1986, 1985), and Cutler (1985, 1984).

Hope's CoSIDA Academic All-America Honorees

Kym (Libertyville, Illinois / Libertyville HS) recorded the second-highest batting average in Hope history this season at a career-high .468 clip and was the MIAA batting champion with a .500 average in league games. 

The fifth-year senior finished second on the MIAA champion Flying Dutchmen with 41 RBIs and tied a career-high with three home runs. Kym was named to the All-MIAA First Team. Hope finished with a 28-10 overall record.

The Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2021-22 Division III Academic All-America® program.

For more information about CoSIDA's Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com on CoSIDA.com.