NCBWA Division II All-American Release
D2CCA Division II Baseball All-American Release
ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-American Release
It's only fitting that a player who just turned in a season unlike any other in school history achieved another bit of recognition that has never been done in school history before.
Luke Ortel, an outfielder on the Hillsdale College baseball team, was named First-Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. The release went public Friday morning.
Ortel is the first Charger to ever earn NCAA Division II First-Team All-American honors.
Senior Chris McDonald was voted honorable mention All-American through the D2CCA program. That makes the 2016 Chargers the first Hillsdale College athletic team outside of track to boast two All-American players since the 2011 volleyball team.
The D2CCA recognition stems from nominating and voting from sports information directors nationwide, across all Division II institutions.
The 2016 GLIAC Player of the Year, Ortel filled up statistical columns in a way previously unseen in school history. He finished the season having broken 11 school records and two GLIAC records (at bats, total hits). He led the nation with 112 hits and his .463 batting average was tied for number one in all of NCAA Division II.
In addition to his incredible numbers at the plate, Ortel had unbelievable range in center field. He would routinely track down hard-hit balls, making one diving or rolling catch after another to help keep the Chargers in position to win games, something they did more often in 2016 than any other season in school history.
Hillsdale compiled a 32-24 record in 2016, qualifying for the GLIAC Tournament for the first time in 13 years, and winning postseason games for the first time ever. That led to the team being selected for the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament for the first time.
Ortel, the team's leadoff hitter throughout his career, hit 11 home runs, had 49 RBI, crushed 26 doubles, 8 triples and scored 75 runs with 29 stolen bases. He had a .773 slugging percentage and a .506 on-base percentage. He not only broke records, he put the old records so far in the rear view mirror, that they actually do seem smaller than they appear.
He scored 75 runs this season – the old school record was 50. His 112 hits dwarfed the old school record of 70. He increased the single-season doubles record to 26 from 18, and he nearly doubled the old school record for triples in a season.
His 49 runs batted in are the fourth-most in school history, a number all the more remarkable when you consider he was the team's leadoff hitter, someone who wouldn't figure to get as many RBI opportunities as other players.
One game earlier this season against Northwood displayed Ortel's incredible skill with the bat more than any other. The Timberwolves opened the bottom of the first inning by deploying four players in the outfield, in an attempt to better catch any ball Ortel hit in the air. He proceeded to send a single up the middle. In his next at bat, Northwood put a defensive shift on Ortel, placing three infielders to the right of second base. Ortel's answer? He sent a double down the left field line, going the opposite way.
Luke Ortel, as well as the entire 2016 Charger baseball team, set a new standard of excellence for the program that will stand as an example for generations of Hillsdale College baseball players.
McDonald's honorable mention All-American honor came at the pitcher/utility position. On the mound, he set a school single-season record with 11 saves as the closer, before returning to a starting role. He compiled a 3-1 record and had a 31-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
At the plate, McDonald launched 14 home runs and had a school-record 62 runs batted in through the season. He had 73 total hits, 58 runs scored and drew 37 walks, all marks that rank him high on top 10 lists in school history.