Kyle Brnovich '20 and Kara Shutt '18 were honored for their performance on the field this year as among the country's best.
Kyle Brnovich ’20, a pitcher on Elon’s baseball team, and Kara Shutt ’18, an outfielder on Elon’s softball team, have been named All-Americans for their performance on the field this year.
Following a stellar sophomore season in which he set a new program record for strikeouts, Brnovich has been tabbed a second-team All-American by Baseball America. Shutt was named a third-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for her play this season, making her only the second student-athlete in the history of the Elon softball program to garner such an honor.
Kyle Brnovich ’20
Over the course of the season, Brnovich posted an 8-2 overall record and lead the nation with 147 strikeouts. He finished his year with a 1.71 ERA and held opponents to a .159 batting average over 105.0 innings in 15 starts. The Milton, Georgia, resident’s strikeout total rates second on the CAA’s single-season chart. Brnovich recorded 10 or more strikeouts in eight of his starts and has twice fanned 14 hitters this season.
Brnovich, who earned first-team All-CAA accolades this year, also rates among the national leaders in ERA (12th), strikeouts per nine innings (14th with 12.60), hits allowed per nine innings (4th with 4.89) and walks and hits per inning pitched (15th with 0.89).
Brnovich was selected to represent the United States as a member of the 2018 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer. He is a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year Award.
In his two years at Elon, Brnovich is 14-7 with a 2.35 ERA and ranks third on the program’s career chart with 250 strikeouts.
Kara Shutt ’18
“I’m really honored to be named an All-American,” said Shutt. “I want to thank my coaches, teammates and family for supporting me throughout my four years and helping me reach my full potential as a student-athlete.”
The All-American honor adds to Shutt’s decorated career with the Phoenix while also making another addition to her laundry list of accomplishments from her 2018 senior campaign. The Greensboro, N.C., native was named a first-team NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region selection for the second time and also was a first-team All-CAA choice for the third straight season. Shutt was also one of three honorees from the CAA, joining fellow third team members Kate Gordon and Odicci Alexander from James Madison.
“I am excited for Kara to be honored as one of the best Division I outfielders in the country,” said Elon head coach Kathy Bocock. “She has been consistent for our program for four years and has earned the respect of coaches across the country with her high level of play. I feel very privileged to have been able to recruit her to Elon and it has been an honor to work with her in the outfield and help her flourish into an All-American.”
Shutt concluded her senior season by leading the maroon and gold in batting average (.425), slugging percentage (.580), runs scored (42), hits (74) and total bases (101) while also tying the team-lead in triples (three). She also tied her own single-season school-record with 21 doubles and went on to become the program’s and the CAA’s all-time career leader with 63. Defensively, she posted a .979 fielding percentage with 88 putouts and only two errors on the year.
Shutt closed out her Elon career with her name at or near the top of several categories. She ranks second to Watson in career hits (253) and is third in runs scored (142). Her 13 career triples are tied for fifth all-time in school history while her 114 RBI is fourth in program history. Shutt also finished fourth in the CAA in career hits and triples.