WICHITA, Kan. – Hilltopper first baseman Adam Shank was named second-team all-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) on Tuesday. Shank was also named first-team all-region, while Hilltopper closer Stephen Johnson was named second-team all-region as a relief pitcher.

Shank (Houston, Texas/San Jacinto JC) was named to the NCBWA second-team all-region team and first-team all-Heartland Conference in 2011. Shank led the Hilltoppers with a .372 batting average, pounding out 73 hits, 13 doubles, six triples, and six home runs. He was also 11th in the nation with 63 RBI.

Johnson (Boulder, Colo./Boulder HS) posted a 7-5 record with a 3.56 earned-run average. He led the Hilltoppers with 65 strikeouts in 78.1 innings of work. He was named second-team all-Heartland Conference after the 2011 season.

St. Edward’s will open up its 2012 campaign this weekend when they host Heartland Conference rival Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Hilltoppers will tangle with the Lions in a doubleheader on Saturday at Noon, and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. All games will be played at Lucian-Hamilton Field. Live audio, video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.

As a member of NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference, St. Edward’s, has captured 47 conference titles, advanced to the NCAA tournament 50 times and has produced 31 All-Americans and 32 Academic All-Americans since 1999.

Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward's University is named among the top five "Up-and-Coming Universities" in the Western Region by its academic peers in a 2011 U.S. News & World Report survey. For eight consecutive years St. Edward's has been recognized as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. St. Edward’s has also been named one of “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability.

St. Edward's is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university of more than 5,400 students located in Austin, Texas. For more information on St. Edward’s University, visit http://www.stedwards.edu/athletics.