Kira Baker Earns Second Straight NAIA All-American Honor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After receiving the honor as a freshman last year, Baker softball pitcher Kira Baker was named to the 2024 NAIA All-America team as the national office released its postseason awards on Tuesday.

Helping lead the Wildcats to their second straight NAIA appearance, Baker, a sophomore from Eudora, Kan., was selected to the NAIA All-America Third Team after going 18-5 in her 28 appearances this season with an incredible 0.97 ERA and 203 strikeouts in her 151.2 innings pitched this year.

Baker tossed 18 complete games and recorded eight shutouts, while finishing the regular season by allowing just two runs in her final seven appearances. She notched her 500th career strikeout in the Wildcats' postseason victory over Friends in the first game of the NAIA Opening Round.

As the only other BU softball player to earn All-America recognition, Baker joins former Wildcats pitcher Olivia Brees as a two-time honoree with Brees receiving the honor in 2018 and 2019. Baker was selected to the NAIA First Team in 2023 as well as being named the NFCA's 2023 Freshman of the Year.

BU finished off another terrific spring with a 34-15 overall record, winning 30 or more games for the second straight season and earning back-to-back NAIA appearances for the second time in program history (2018-2019). The Wildcats went 17-7 in conference play and closed out the regular season by winning nine of their last 10 games to earn the No. 2 seed for the Heart Softball Conference Tournament.

To view a full list of the NAIA All-America team, click here.

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