CARMEL, Ind. – Following the 2026 season, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the Baseball major award winners and members of the All-Conference Teams.
Transylvania sophomore outfielder Ethan Dillon (Louisville, Ky.) took home two major awards this spring as he was named both the HCAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Dillon was a fearsome presence at the plate as he posted a .381 batting average and slugged .698. His power was on display as he tied for the league lead with 10 home runs, helping contribute to his 42 RBI, which ranked in the top-five in the conference. Dillon was also a terror on the base paths swiping 21 bases. He was held hitless only eight times with 17 multi-hit games. Defensively, he covered a lot of ground from his centerfield position with his arm strength causing baserunners to think twice about taking extra bags.
For the second year in a row, the Pitcher of the Year honor goes to Transy’s Drew Bowles (Lexington, Ky.). Bowles was dominant on the mound, leading the league in wins (8), ERA (2.18), and strikeouts (99). Bowles also held opposing hitters to a miniscule .195 batting average, which also led the league. In his 11 starts, he held opponents scoreless four times and had double-digit strikeouts in five. He allowed five or fewer hits in seven of his outings. His strikeout total also ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division III.
The Pioneers earned a clean sweep of the student-athlete awards as Kaden Ford (Louisville, Ky.) was voted the Newcomer of the Year. Ford found himself in the top-10 in a number of offensive categories during his debut season. He produced a .386/.495/.625 slash line, ranking in the HCAC top-10 in all three categories. He had 12 multi-hit games, scored 33 runs, and drove in 22.
Earlham head coach Steve Sakosits led the Quakers to a season that far exceeded expectations. Earlham went 18-4 in conference play and 26-11 overall to earn a share of the HCAC Regular Season title despite being picked seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll. Sakosits’ squad combined high run-production and even better pitching to mark this year’s improvement. They had the league’s best team ERA at 3.85, which is the 17th best ERA in the country. They also hit 43 home runs, which was good for second in the HCAC and 30th in all of NCAA Division III.
Player/Defensive Player of the Year: Ethan Dillon, Transylvania University
Pitcher of the Year: Drew Bowles, Transylvania University
Newcomer of the Year: Kaden Ford, Transylvania University
Coach of the Year: Steve Sakosits, Earlham College
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.
HCAC Baseball First Team All-Conference
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Chris Barnett |
SS |
Earlham College |
| Casey Blevins |
SP |
Earlham College |
| Drew Bowles |
SP |
Transylvania University |
| Ethan Dillon |
OF |
Transylvania University |
| Kaden Ford |
OF |
Transylvania University |
| John Girard |
SP |
Hanover College |
| Jackson Harms |
DH |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Drew Helton |
1B |
Franklin College |
| Max Horner |
OF |
Manchester University |
| Cayman Huntsman |
SP |
Earlham College |
| Connor O’Connell |
3B |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Luke Patton |
RP |
Transylvania University |
| Mason Rasmussen |
C |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Mitchell Roether |
1B |
Earlham College |
| Seita Shiratori |
2B |
Transylvania University |
| Noah Wagster |
OF |
Earlham College |
HCAC Baseball Second Team All-Conference
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Garrett Dehart |
SS |
Franklin College |
| Austin Dick |
3B |
Earlham College |
| Trey Dorton |
OF |
Anderson University |
| Chris Hedinger |
1B |
Transylvania University |
| Sean Jefferies |
2B |
Earlham College |
| Camden Judson |
SP |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Jackson Mcfarland |
OF |
Earlham College |
| Nolan Miller |
SP |
Mount St. Joseph University |
| Nick Pietromonaco |
DH |
Transylvania University |
| Tj Pipkins |
OF |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Riley Reyna |
SP |
Bluffton University |
| Braden Richey |
SP |
Anderson University |
| Dylan Rieck |
C |
Earlham College |
| Hayden Scalf |
RP |
Earlham College |
| Jackson Summers |
OF |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Griffin Wolf |
1B |
Anderson University |
HCAC Baseball All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Henry Craig |
P |
Transylvania University |
| Tyler Forest |
C |
Bluffton University |
| Dylan Hogan |
SS |
Anderson University |
| Jon Jimenez |
OF |
Earlham College |
| Joel Kennedy |
1B |
Manchester University |
| AJ Meyer |
OF |
Mount St. Joseph University |
| Giovanny Ortiz |
C |
Berea College |
| Liam Richardson |
P |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Miguel Serra |
1B |
Berea College |
| Josh Simpson |
P |
Hanover College |
| Davis Wagner |
OF/RHP |
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 X and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.