2023 CSC Baseball Academic All-American Teams
A special career at Hillsdale College ends with another special honor for baseball outfielder Lewis Beals.
On Wednesday afternoon, Beals was named an Academic All-American for the second straight season, earning first-team honors from College Sports Communicators. Beals, who earned second-team Academic All-American in 2022, is the first Hillsdale baseball player to earn multiple Academic All-American honors, and the second first-team Academic All-American player in program history, joining Tony Castleberry in 2000.
Beals is one of just 10 players across the country at the NCAA DII level to receive first-team Academic All-American honors through CSC's Academic All-American ® program, which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The program, which has been around since 1952 and is the premier national academic award in collegiate athletics, recognizes baseball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
The graduated senior from Mason, Michigan had another solid season for the Chargers in 2023, helping Hillsdale to 20 wins in conference play for the first time in program history and a top four finish in the G-MAC. Beals finished second on the team in total hits (57) and RBIs (40) while hitting .308 with nine doubles, eight home runs and a .508 slugging percentage. The senior also made several impressive catches in the outfield, helping to fortify a defense that shattered the Hillsdale program record with a .966 fielding percentage.
Beals did all this despite being less than a year removed from a devastating leg injury that cut his junior season short in 2022. There were questions about whether the damage sustained would allow Beals to be the same player he was before the injury, but the senior answered those questions with impressive work in rehab, getting back ahead of schedule, starting 48 games for Hillsdale in 2023 and providing the same strong bat in the lineup and steady play in right field as before.
The Mason, Michigan native has been an impressive contributor throughout his career at Hillsdale. As a junior, Beals finished with the second-best slugging percentage (.776) and the sixth-most home runs (14) in a single season in program history while earning first-team All-G-MAC honors and consensus All-Region honors. A gifted hitter capable of providing both average and power, Beals' 23 career home runs rank seventh all-time at Hillsdale, and his six triples are tied for 10th.
As impressive as Beals' on-field accomplishments are, they are arguably dwarfed by his achievements in the classroom and community. Beals graduated from Hillsdale College with a 4.0 GPA and a B.S. in Biochemistry this spring, finishing in the top five in his class and joining a very small group of student athletes in Hillsdale history to complete their degree with a 4.0 GPA.
Beals' list of academic accomplishments is long – along with being a two-time CSC Academic All-American, he also earned five Academic All-Conference honors. At Hillsdale College, he won the Biology Department's Junior Scholar Award in 2022 for his achievements, and in the summer of 2022 he worked with Dr. Sang-Chul Nam at Hillsdale on research into Alzheimers, contributing to a published work titled "Comparison of Tau and Amyloid beta induced oxidation of optic disc mitochondria in Drosophila melongaster".
Along with his work in the classroom, Beals also gave back to the community, volunteering at Hillsdale Hospital in both the laboratory and emergency room throughout his time at Hillsdale, as well as with Mary Randall Preschool on the Hillsdale College campus.
Beals plans to attend medical school in the fall to pursue an M.D., and leaves behind a tremendous legacy at Hillsdale College with his accomplishments on and off the field.
Photo by Steve George