CHICAGO – The 2026 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Region Teams were announced Tuesday afternoon, as junior Ashton Kampa was named to the Midwest All-Region Second Team, capping off his incredible season in the batter's box.

The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association, and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Division I All-America & Coach of the Year Committee.

"For Ashton to be recognized, it speaks to the level of his love to compete," head coach Sean McDermott said. "When you are worried about winning, good things happen and Ashton is a prime example of that. He put up the numbers and getting recognized as a member of the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Midwest Second Team is pretty special."

Kampa appeared in 50 games while splitting time between the outfield and designated hitter. He led UIC in batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.747) and total bases (139), ranked second in home runs (18), and finished third in RBI (50) and on-base percentage (.425).

As the season progressed, Kampa became one of UIC's most consistent, and feared hitters in the batter's box. No week showcased this better than the week of May 4^th, when Kampa went 15-for-20 at the plate, batting .750 with four home runs, four doubles, 11 RBI and scoring eight times. He opened the week going 5-for-5 against Milwaukee on May 6, becoming the first player in two seasons to crush three home runs in a game. That earned the Muskego, Wis. native earned National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Dick Howser Trophy's Co-Hitter of the Week, Missouri Valley Player and Newcomer of the Week.

He carried that surge into the 2026 MVC Baseball Championship in Murray, Ky., entering as the league's Newcomer of the Year and an All-MVC First Team pick, Kampa then delivered the tournament's signature moment, blasting a three-run homer in the eighth inning of the title game to seal a 7–2 win over Southern Illinois and secure UIC's first MVC Tournament crown — and first conference tournament title in seven seasons. Kampa's performance earned him a spot on the MVC All-Tournament Team.

Kampa shined on the biggest stage a week later at the NCAA Atlanta Regional, stepping up when UIC trailed The Citadel by four entering the top of the eighth in the May 30 elimination game. After cutting the deficit to one with a two-run homer in the eighth, Kampa hammered a 1–2 pitch over the right-field wall in the 10th to give UIC a brief one-run lead before the Flames were eliminated in the bottom half.
 
Kampa becomes the first member of the program since Kendal Ewell (first team) and Reece Lawler (second team) each earned the honor in 2024.

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