2023 D2CCA NCAA DII All-Region Baseball Teams
The Hillsdale College baseball team continues to bring home recognition for a strong season in 2023, as two players added additional individual All-Region honors on Wednesday.
Both junior relief pitcher Zane Barnhart and sophomore first baseman Will Shannon were second team All-Midwest Region honorees in the eyes of the D2CCA, which announced its All-Region teams this afternoon. The D2CCA awards are chosen from players nominated by sports information directors from across the region, who also conduct the voting and select the teams.
These are the second All-Region honors earned by Barnhart and Shannon, who were both recognized by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association last week. Barnhart was a first team honoree to the NCBWA and Shannon earned honorable mention.
A second All-Region honor makes Barnhart the first Hillsdale pitcher to receive consensus All-Region honors since Andy Lovell in 2005. Barnhart is a two-time All-G-MAC honoree who earned first-team honors from the conference for the 2023 season two weeks ago as well as the pair of All-Region nods.
The junior from Medina, Ohio has been an effective player out of the bullpen for the Chargers, earning second team honors from the G-MAC in 2022, but there's no denying he was a different player this year, showing up at the start of spring with a noticeable increase in both confidence and velocity. That played out throughout the 2023 season, as Barnhart posted a 5-1 record in 20 appearances with six saves, a 2.06 ERA, and 61 strikeouts to 10 walks in just 43.2 innings pitched, for an impressive 12.57 strikeouts per nine innings average. Thoughout the season, Barnhart was a force for the Chargers, and one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen to finish a game in Hillsdale College history. For his career to date, Barnhart's 13 saves out of the bullpen are the second-most by a Chargers pitcher in all time.
Sophomore first baseman Will Shannon adds second team All-Region honors to the NCBWA honor and a first team All-G-MAC nod earlier in the season, with all three awards coming after a breakout season for the ages in 2023. Shannon stepped into the heart of the Hillsdale lineup from day one after seeing limited playing time as a freshman and led the chargers in batting average (.388) and hits (73). Not just a hitter for average with a high OBP (.444), Shannon provided plenty of power for the Chargers, with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 30 RBIs, as well as an OPS of 1.141 for the entire season.
Shannon's marks have earned him a spot in the Hillsdale record book -- tied for fifth in single-season hits (73), eighth in doubles (15), ninth in single-season slugging percentage (.697) and tied for ninth in single season home runs (13) -- in just his second season with the Chargers.
Both players could still receive more recognition, as Hillsdale awaits the announcement of the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region awards next week. Both Barnhart and Shannon also could be considered for All-American honors for the NCBWA and ABCA, as both sets of awards have yet to be announced.
Photos by Steve George