CARMEL, Ind. – Following the 2024 season, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the Baseball major award winners and members of the All-Conference Teams.
Following a stellar senior campaign,
Trent Youngblood (Louisville, Ky.) from Transylvania University was named the 2024 HCAC Player of the Year in a vote among coaches. The shortstop led the league in several statistical categories. Youngblood posted a 5.40 ERA during the season. The senior tabbed 69 hits. Of those hits, he collected 43 RBIs and nine homeruns.
On the mound, it was Hanover College's
John Girard (Richmond, Ky.) who was tabbed as the 2024 HCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Year. The sophomore pieced together an impressive campaign, going 6-2 in five starts with 84.2 innings pitched. He was the league leader with a 2.98 ERA, picking up 89 strikeouts in 2024.
Mount St. Joseph University had a fresh face earn recognition, with
Matt Frye (Mt. Orab, Ohio) voted as the 2024 HCAC Baseball Newcomer of the Year. The first year relief pitcher pitched a total of 34.1 innings with four wins and zero losses. Frye's 3.15 ERA was the third lowest in the conference.
Hanover skipper
Grant Bellak led the Panthers to a first place regular season finish, leading Hanover back to the postseason. The Panthers amassed a 26-14 regular season record and a 17-5 mark in league play. For his efforts, Bellak was voted as the 2024 HCAC Coach of the Year by his peers.
Player of the Year: Trent Youngblood, Transylvania
Pitcher of the Year: John Girard, Hanover
Newcomer of the Year: Matt Frye, Mount St. Joseph
Coach of the Year: Grant Bellak, Hanover
The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and are listed below.
All-Conference 1st Team
|
Name
|
Position
|
School
|
|
Matthew Alter
|
Pitcher
|
Hanover College
|
|
Alex Christie
|
Third Base
|
Hanover College
|
|
Colter Couillard-Rodak
|
Second Base
|
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
|
|
Jake Danneman
|
Shortstop
|
Hanover College
|
|
Garrett DeHart
|
Outfield
|
Franklin College
|
|
Reid Douglas
|
Catcher
|
Hanover College
|
|
Matt Frye
|
Relief Pitcher
|
Mount St. Joseph University
|
|
John Girard
|
Pitcher
|
Hanover College
|
|
Ian Kline
|
Pitcher
|
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
|
|
Kade Kline
|
Outfield
|
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
|
|
Tysen Lipscomb
|
Outfield
|
Franklin College
|
|
Ethan Mason
|
Designated Hitter
|
Mount St. Joseph University
|
|
Justin Maurer
|
First Base
|
Bluffton University
|
|
Anton Mere
|
Outfield
|
Mount St. Joseph University
|
|
Landen Southern
|
Pitcher
|
Anderson University
|
|
Trent Youngblood
|
Shortstop
|
Transylvania University
|
All-Conference 2nd Team
|
Name
|
Position
|
School
|
|
Matt Armstrong
|
Relief Pitcher
|
Transylvania University
|
|
Connor Arnold
|
Pitcher
|
Transylvania University
|
|
Jake Baumgartner
|
Second Base
|
Bluffton University
|
|
Robert Carroll
|
Outfield
|
Hanover College
|
|
Jed Downham
|
Catcher
|
Anderson University
|
|
Dillon Fischer
|
Pitcher
|
Earlham College
|
|
Max Fries
|
Outfield
|
Earlham College
|
|
Gunner Gregg
|
Second Base
|
Defiance College
|
|
Chris Hautmann
|
Pitcher
|
Hanover College
|
|
Connor O'Connell
|
Third Base
|
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
|
|
Eric Roudebush
|
Outfield
|
Hanover College
|
|
Calvin Schubert
|
Outfield
|
Transylvania University
|
|
Austin Taylor
|
First Base
|
Transylvania University
|
|
Jack Towell
|
Shortstop
|
Bluffton University
|
|
Noah Wathen
|
Pitcher
|
Anderson University
|
|
Griffin Wolf
|
Designated Hitter
|
Anderson University
|
All-Conference Honorable Mention
|
Name
|
Position
|
School
|
|
Conner Gephart
|
First Base
|
Defiance College
|
|
Rocco Hanes
|
Utility
|
Manchester University
|
|
Charlie Jones
|
Second Base
|
Anderson University
|
|
Joel Kennedy
|
Designated Hitter
|
Manchester University
|
|
Henry Mitcham
|
Second Base
|
Transylvania University
|
|
Andrew Oesterling
|
Outfield
|
Hanover College
|
|
Jonathan Oliger
|
Pitcher/Third Base
|
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
|
|
Aiden Post
|
Pitcher
|
Mount St. Joseph University
|
|
Riley Reyna
|
Pitcher
|
Bluffton University
|
|
Mitchell Roether
|
First Base
|
Earlham College
|
|
AJ Sanders
|
Shortstop
|
Franklin College
|
For more information on HCAC Baseball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.