2022 D2CCA All-Midwest Region Baseball Teams
Two of the most prolific offensive seasons in Hillsdale College baseball history helped the Chargers end a three-year drought and collect D2CCA All-Midwest Region honors for the first time since 2019.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association honors the top baseball players from each of the eight regions in the country annually, with players nominated by, and voted upon, by sports information directors from across the Midwest Region. Making the 2022 first team and receiving recognition as the top shortstop in the Midwest Region this year was sophomore Aidan Brewer, while fellow sophomore Lewis Beals earned a second-team All-Region nod as an outfielder.
Building off an All-G-MAC season in 2021, Brewer had an offensive season for the ages in 2022 at Hillsdale, leading the G-MAC in the regular season in batting average (.435), on-base percentage (.500), total hits (81) and doubles (19), while also finishing third in OPS (1.226), fourth in RBIs (50), sixth in runs scored (50), seventh in slugging percentage (.726), eighth in home runs (11) and ninth in stolen bases. He also finished the regular season in the top 15 in the nation among NCAA DII players in batting average, total hits and on-base percentage as well.
The sophomore really stood out in conference play, leading the G-MAC in batting average (.468), on-base percentage (.529) and hits (58) as well while ranking in the top 10 in every relevant offensive category except for triples. That performance helped him earn first-team All-G-MAC honors as a shortstop last week.
Brewer's monster season has him in rarefied air in Hillsdale College history, ranking in the top 10 in seven single-season categories. He's third in hits (81), sixth in batting average (.435), sixth in runs scored (50), seventh in slugging percentage (.726), second in doubles (19), seventh in RBIs (50) and tied for 10th in home runs (11). His 23 career home runs are also tied for fourth all-time at Hillsdale, just one behind third place.
Beals, meanwhile, had a special season of his own, one made even more impressive by the fact that he missed 10 games, including Hillsdale's final nine contests, with injuries. Despite a shortened season, Beals made the most of the time he was on the field, racking up gaudy enough numbers to outshine most of his peers who played full schedules.
The sophomore hit .378 wih a .776 slugging percentage in 38 games, the second-highest single season slugging percentage in program history. Beals led the Chargers in home runs with 14, tied for the sixth most in a single season all time at Hillsdale, and finished second in RBIs with 44 while chipping in nine doubles, three triples and eight stolen bases.
Beals' biggest moment came in a series against McKendree on March 4 and 5. In a 12-7 win over the Bearcats on March 4, Beals accomplished an extremely rare feat by hitting for the cycle, finishing with a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same contest. It was part of a weekend where Beals went 11 of 17 at the plate with two doubles, a triple, five home runs and 10 RBIs, and became the first Charger baseball player in at least a decade to receive NCBWA National Player of the Week honors. An impressive student off the field as well, Beals not only earned first team All-G-MAC honors as an outfielder, but also became the first Charger baseball player in over two decades to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as well.
As a first-team honoree, Brewer not only receives the accolade but also earns the right to advance and receive consideration for D2CCA All-American honors as well. If selected, he would be just the fourth Charger in program history to be recognized as a NCAA DII All-American by the D2CCA, and the first since Steven Ring in 2017. Voting for the All-American teams will take place next week, and the D2CCA All-America teams will be announced on June 1.
Photos by Gwen Buchhop