A baseball season to remember for Hillsdale College's Will Shannon has earned him an unprecedented honor this week.
This afternoon, Shannon became the first Hillsdale College baseball player to be named conference Player of the Year since the Chargers joined the G-MAC for the 2018 season, and the first of any kind since Luke Ortel was named GLIAC Player of the Year in 2016. The junior first baseman is just the third Hillsdale player to earn conference Player of the Year honors, joining Ortel and Bill Howe (1989).
Coming off an All-Region level year as a sophomore in 2023, there were no doubts about Shannon's potential entering the 2024 season. But the junior still exceeded expectations, leading the G-MAC in season batting average (.426), slugging percentage (.838), on-base percentage (0.508), and, as a consequence of those three numbers, OPS as well (1.346). Shannon was even better in conference play, batting .436 with an .882 slugging percentage and a 1.402 OPS.
Despite missing Hillsdale's first seven games with an injury, Shannon put up incredible numbers in 2024 to lead the Chargers in virtually every hitting category, finishing with a team-high 63 hits, 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 52 RBIs while scoring 50 runs and drawing 27 walks. Shannon's .838 slugging percentage is second only to Jeff DePorter's .848 in 1988 for a single season in program history, and for a single season the junior's 2024 campaign ranks seventh in batting average (.426), sixth in runs scored (50), ninth in doubles (14), third in home runs (15) and sixth in RBIs (52).
Shannon was consistent at the plate for the Chargers, with a 20-game hitting streak, 18 multi-hit games, and and just five games out of 42 played where he didn't record a hit. The junior also had three multi-home run games this season for the Chargers, including a 5 for 6 outing with two home runs and a double in a 16-12 win over Grand Valley State that was his first five-hit game of his career. He also was a solid defensive player at first base for Hillsdale, with a .990 fielding percentage, 297 putouts and 14 assists while playing a part in turning 18 double plays for the Chargers.
Along with Player of the Year honors, Shannon also was named first team All-G-MAC for the second straight season, and will be a strong contender for All-Region honors for the second straight year, and also potentially All-American honors later in the month of May. He's slated to return for one final season with the Chargers in 2025, where he'll look to build on his monster performance this season and help the Chargers get back to the G-MAC Tournament and to mount a charge into G-MAC title contention.