Kolpien, Pentecost Nab Spots on NAIA All-American Teams
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Crossroads League Baseball's Player and Pitcher of the Year, Kaleb Kolpien and Gabel Pentecost of Taylor, were announced Wednesday as Second- and Third-Team NAIA All-Americans, respectively, overseen by the NAIA Baseball All-America selection committee.
Kolpien and Pentecost are both first-time NAIA All-Americans, as they become the 15th and 16th All-American selections during head coach Kyle Gould's tenure. Kolpien's status as a Second-Team All-American also has him recognized as an All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods.
Kolpien's .432 batting average ranked fourth in the nation among players with at least 200 at-bats. His program-record-tying 98 hits also slotted in at fourth in the NAIA, while the senior's 72 RBIs ranked among the top 25 batters.
Kolpien led all Crossroads League players in each of the aforementioned categories to go with his league-best .508 on-base percentage, and he ranked among the top five in the CL in slugging percentage, home runs, extra-base hits and runs scored.
Among the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native's accomplishments included 34 multi-hit games and a 23-game hitting streak (minimum two plate appearances) between Feb. 22 and April 4.
Remarkably, Kolpien reached base safely in every one of the 57 games he started. The lone game Kolpien did not start, he went for 0-for-0 with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in an 11-2 win over Grace on March 3.
The outfielder also yielded a perfect fielding percentage on the season, recording 34 putouts.
Pentecost, a junior who repeated as the CL Pitcher of the Year, finished his season ranked sixth in the NAIA with 116 strikeouts and tied-sixth with 12 wins. Among 20 pitchers nationwide who reached 100 strikeouts, Pentecost's 21 walks issued marked the third fewest.
The Fremont, Indiana, native set single-season program records for both victories and strikeouts, numbers that doubled as the Crossroads League's top figures in 2025. Pentecost also finished second in the CL with a 3.04 ERA among qualified arms, and he furthered his statistical achievements as a top-five performer in WHIP, innings pitched and strikeouts per nine innings.
The right-hander totaled 11 starts with at least five innings pitched and two or fewer earned runs allowed, and he racked up five outings with double-digit strikeouts.
Kolpien and Pentecost push Taylor athletics' NAIA All-Americans count across all sports to 29 during the 2024-2025 year.
Taylor Baseball NAIA All-Americans During Kyle Gould Era
2025 – Kaleb Kolpien (Second-Team)
2025 – Gabel Pentecost (Third-Team)
2024 – Mason David (Third-Team)
2023 – Jack Ross (Second-Team)
2022 – TJ Bass (First-Team)
2022 – Luke Shively (Honorable Mention)
2021 – Joe Moran (Honorable Mention)
2018 – Matt Patton (Second-Team)
2017 – Nathan Targgart (Honorable Mention)
2017 – Jared Adkins (Honorable Mention)
2016 – Lincoln Reed (Honorable Mention)
2012 – Rhett Goodmiller (Honorable Mention)
2012 – Ryne Otis (Honorable Mention)
2011 – Ryne Otis (Honorable Mention)
2010 – Michael Kraynak (Honorable Mention)
2009 – Michael Kraynak (Honorable Mention)