Seaside, CA -- Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball player Jon Alia has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced today at the CCAA Executive Council Meetings in Seaside.
The award is voted on and selected by the Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) from the conference’s 11 institutions.
A senior first baseman from Newbury Park, Calif., Alia enjoyed a breakout year for Cal State Dominguez Hills, leading the Toros to an NCAA West Region Tournament berth, their first since 1994.
The eighth-leading hitter in NCAA Division II in 2009, Alia batted a school-record .467 and ranked third in the nation with program-best 98 base hits. He also set single-season school records with 20 home runs, 78 RBI, 25 doubles, 187 total bases and .890 slugging percentage.
Alia’s banner year included being the named the CCAA’s Most Valuable Player, first team All-CAAA, West Region Player of the Year, first team All-West Region and first team All-American.
In addition to his exploits on the field, Alia graduated Magna Cum Laude after earning a degree in kinesiology. The Toros first baseman’s success in the classroom earned him the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year Award for baseball and was the recipient of the Cal State Dominguez Hills Dr. Hal Charnofsky Award.
The award is given annually in recognition of CCAA student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in the classroom, community and in their sport. The respective athletics department members in consultation with the school’s FARs select and vote on the award.
Alia also made his mark in the community as he donated his time to numerous local organizations as he worked in the soup kitchen at St. Julie’s Church, volunteered at Christmas Tree lots, Santa Monica National Park, Coldwell Elementary School and UCLA Hospital.
The award adds to Alia's laundry list of success this year, arguably making him one of the most successful baseball players to ever don the Cardinal & Gold.
Alia's complete 2008-09 awards:
- CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year
- 1st-Team NCAA/Daktronics All-American
- 1st-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-American
- 1st-Team NCBWA All-American
- CCAA Male Scholar Athlete of the Year
- NCAA/Daktronics West Region Most Valuable Player
- ABCA/Rawlings West Region Most Valuable Player
- NCBWA West Region Most Valuable Player
- CCAA Most Valuable Player
- 1st-Team CoSIDA Academic All-District
- 1st-Team NCAA/Daktronics All-West Region
- 1st-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region
- 1st-Team NCBWA All-West Region
- 1st-Team All-CCAA
- CCAA Player of the Week (2x)
- CSUDH Dr. Hal Charnofsky Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Holds 7 CSUDH single-season records:
(Hits, Home Runs, Average, RBI, Doubles, Total Bases, Slugging)
- Holds 2 CSUDH career records
(Average, Slugging)
- Holds 1 CSUDH single-game record
(Doubles)
The award marks the third time that a CSUDH student-athlete has been named CCAA Scholar-Athlete of the year, with the previous two winners being Cherish Jordan in 1997 and Monica Lastrapes in 1994, both women's soccer players.
Alia's female counterpart in the award went to Meghan Haas of Cal State San Bernardino's NCAA National Championship Runner-Up volleyball team.