2020-21 All-G-MAC Baseball Awards
The Hillsdale College baseball team heads into the Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament this week at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio as the sixth-seeded squad.
Earning that spot takes talented players – and the Chargers had several recognized by the G-MAC with All-Conference honors, the conference office announced today.
A total of six Chargers made the All-G-MAC second or third teams, five for the first time in their careers. Hillsdale's total number of honorees exceeds the five the Chargers earned in 2019 and matches the six they received in 2018, their first season in the G-MAC.
Two Chargers earned second team honors – freshman Jeff Landis at first base, and junior Rob Zurawski as a DH.
Landis has had one of the best power-hitting seasons in program history in 2021, bursting onto the G-MAC scene with 14 home runs. Only two other players in Charger history (Steven Ring and Brian Buckley) have more in a single season than Landis' total this season, and the freshman's 48 RBIs are also in the top 10 all-time for a single season as well. Those home run and RBI totals were also second in the G-MAC this year, only trailing league player of the year Andrew Czech of Walsh.
For the year, Landis has hit .302 with a .376 on-base percentage, adding eight doubles to his home run total. He's also had a perfect fielding percentage at first base, with 233 put-outs and 16 assists.
Landis is joined on the All-G-MAC second team by Zurawski, a junior by eligibility who is in his fifth year with the Charger program and had his best season in 2021.
Zurawski hit for average, leading Hillsdale with .342 and a .423 on-base percentage, as well as a team-high 52 hits, and for power, leading the Chargers in doubles (10) and tying for second on the team with nine home runs, while also chipping in 28 RBIs.
While Zurawski made the All-G-MAC second team as a DH, and did get extensive playing time there, he also was an important utility fielder for the Chargers, playing multiple infield and outfield positions at different points in the year and helping Hillsdale overcome numerous injuries with his positional flexibility.
Four Chargers earned All-G-MAC third team honors, led by junior pitcher David Toth, who had a historic and record-setting campaign for the Chargers.
Toth kicked off the year with the program's first no-hitter in at least three decades against Maryville, and carried that strong play throughout the year, leading the G-MAC in strikeouts and breaking Hillsdale's single-season strikeout record with 91 in 10 starts.
The junior finished the season with a 3-2 record and a 4.32 ERA, and had 10 or more strikeouts in five of his 10 starts, including a season-high of 12 twice. He's the only Charger in 2021 to make his second All-G-MAC team, after earning the honor in 2018 as a reliever.
Three freshman position players also earned third-team nods for the Chargers. Aidan Brewer was named the third-team shortstop after a season where he hit .307 with six doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 30 RBIs, and finished third in the conference in assists as a fielder (100).
Hillsdale also had two of the three third-team outfielders. Joe Hardenbergh earned his first All-G-MAC honor thanks to a red-hot closing stretch that included six home runs in his final five games of the season. For the year, Hardenbergh hit .300 with three doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 28 RBIs.
Fellow freshman outfielder Danny Passinault also made the All-G-MAC third team, after hitting .323 with four doubles, three home runs and 24 RBIs for the Chargers. Passinault also led all Charger outfielders with 86 put-outs and a .989 fielding percentage, making him one of the best defensive outfielders in the conference.