The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced their All-Conference awards for baseball on Wednesday afternoon and the Bethany Lutheran baseball team swept the major awards while seeing a UMAC-most nine players named All-Conference. The Vikings highlighted the individual awards as Aidan Russell was named Player of the Year, Drew Hedtke Pitcher of the Year, Trent Ash Rookie of the Year, and Ryan Kragh Coach of the Year.
Russell and Hedtke each earned First Team All-Conference and were joined by teammates Malachi Santiago, Nolan Spence, Liam Peterson, Jackson Huiras, and Gavin Jacobsen. Ash earned All-Conference Honorable Mention and was joined by Will Carlson, while Reed Brown earned All-Sportsmanship team.
Russell earns Player of the Year honors after a season that saw him slug a team-leading .635 thanks to three doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. The junior posted a batting average of .365 on the season and was second on the team with 39 runs scored while his 41 RBI led the Vikings. His nine home runs are the second most in a season in program history while his RBI are in the top five.
Hedtke was named Pitcher of the Year after tossing 57.2 innings on the season and posting a 5-2 record in eight starts. Six of his starts were complete games which was a UMAC-best, while his 2.03 ERA was also the lowest in the conference. He struck out a team-high 63 batters on the season, allowing just six extra base hits in his combined efforts.
Ash took home the Rookie of the Year award after a strong showing throughout the conference slate. On the season, the freshman tossed 50.1 innings, going 3-3 and allowing just 18 earned runs for a 3.22 ERA while striking out 58. He scattered just 39 hits in his outings which helped him lead the UMAC with a .204 batting average against.
Santiago had a tremendous season as Bethany’s everday shortstop this year, batting .405 and scoring a team-best 40 runs on the season. He finished top five in program history for doubles in a season as he tallied 14, while also adding two home runs on the year. He finished the year with an on-base percentage of .477 while successfully stealing a team-most 14 bases.
Nolan Spence earns First Team honors after posting a batting average of .412 and on-base percentage of .521, both marks that rank top six in program history. In the clean-up spot in the order, Spence slugged .588 thanks to nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs, while knocking in 36 runs and scoring 31 times.
Peterson garners his third straight First Team All-Conference nod after hitting .291 on the season and slugging .470. The senior posted six doubles and was second on the team with five home runs while also adding in 31 RBI. Peterson also added 12 stolen bases on the year while boasting a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000.
Huiras earns his second consecutive All-Conference honor as one of two relief pitchers named after tossing 29.1 innings this season and posting a 5.52 ERA. He struck out 26 hitters on the season while posting a 2-1 record and finishing with four saves on the season which gave him six in his career which tied the program record.
Jacobsen once again was a force on the mound and earned another All-Conference nod after posting a 4-1 record with a 2.27 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched. Strikeouts once again reigned supreme for the southpaw, as he struck out 60 hitters in his innings for an average of 13.7 K/9 while opponents batted just .212 off of him.
Carlson rounded out the All-Conference honors after finding his niche as the team’s everyday second baseman. He batted .333 on the season while reaching base at a clip of .410 while also adding six stolen bases on the year. Carlson scored 17 runs in 23 games played while also adding 13 RBI.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aidan Russell | Bethany Lutheran
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Drew Hedtke | Bethany Lutheran
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Trent Ash | Bethany Lutheran
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ryan Kragh | Bethany Lutheran
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Northwestern Eagles
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Name | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown / High School |
| Tyler Bloom | Crown | DH | Sr. | Montello, WI / Montello |
| Mason Brock | Crown | INF | Sr. | Richmond, Texas / William B. Travis |
| Tristan Camp | Crown | SP | Gr. | Montgomery, MO / Mars Hill University |
| Ethan Coady | Wisconsin-Superior | RP | Jr. | Toronto, Ontario / Etobicoke School of the Arts |
| Mason Cox | Martin Luther | OF | Sr. | New Ulm, MN / Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| Bryce Crabb | Northwestern | UTL | Gr. | Des Moines, Iowa / Grand View Christian |
| Nick Drinken | Northwestern | SP | SP | Randolph, Minn. / Randolph |
| Isaac Fugere | Wisconsin-Superior | C | Sr. | Duluth, Minn. / Duluth East |
| Howie Hatton | Crown | INF | Gr. | North Riverside, IL / Concordia University Chicago |
| Drew Hedtke | Bethany Lutheran | SP | So. | Norwood Young America / Glencoe-Silver Lake |
| Jackson Huiras | Bethany Lutheran | RP | So. | Sleepy Eye, MN / Sleepy Eye |
| Gavin Jacobsen | Bethany Lutheran | SP | Jr. | Jackson, MN / Jackson County Central |
| Grady Karges | Northwestern | OF | Sr. | Oriska, N.D. / Maple Valley |
| Ryan McGie | Minnesota Morris | UTL | Jr. | Minnetonka, Minn. / Hopkins |
| Ben Meuser | Minnesota Morris | INF | Jr. | Burnsville, Minn. / Burnsville |
| Ashton Pauly | Minnesota Morris | INF | So. | Shakopee, Minn. / Shakopee |
| Liam Peterson | Bethany Lutheran | OF | Sr. | Port Orchard, WA / Evergreen Lutheran |
| Aiden Pfeifer | Wisconsin-Superior | SP | So. | Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie |
| Christian Rodriguez | North Central | SP | SP | Tuscon, AZ / Catalina Foothills |
| Zach Romans | Wisconsin-Superior | SP | Fr. | Saint Michael, Minn. / Saint Michael |
| Aidan Russell | Bethany Lutheran | INF | Jr. | Gilbert, AZ / Campo Verde |
| Malachi Santiago | Bethany Lutheran | INF | Jr. | Gilbert, AZ / Campo Verde |
| Ethan Schmitz | Minnesota Morris | OF | Jr. | St. Louis Park, Minn. / St. Louis Park |
| Matthew Shaugabay | Crown | C | Gr. | Burbank, CA |
| Nolan Spence | Bethany Lutheran | INF | Jr. | Zimmerman, Minn. / Ridgewater C.C. |
| Payton Steiner | Wisconsin-Superior | OF | Jr. | Baraboo, Wis. / Baraboo |
| Braden Storts | Northwestern | OF | Fr. | Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka |
| Parker Winghart | Martin Luther | INF | Fr. | Brookings, SD / Luther Prep |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTIONS
| Name | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown / High School |
| Trent Ash | Bethany Lutheran | SP | Fr. | Springville, Utah / Springville |
| Mark Bligh | Northwestern | INF | Jr. | Sydney, Australia / Magdalene Catholic College |
| Teagan Burch | North Central | INF | Jr. | St. Paul, MN / Highland Park |
| Will Carlson | Bethany Lutheran | INF | Jr. | Lucan, MN / Wabasso |
| Julian Encinas | North Central | C | Sr. | Tucson, AZ / Amphitheater |
| Parker Gilchrist | Minnesota Morris | SP | So | Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater |
| Ethan Habetler | Crown | INF | Sr. | Depere, WI / West De Pere |
| Spencer Lilienthal | Martin Luther | UTL | Sr. | Plato, MN / Glencoe-Silver Lake |
| Tyler Murphy | Northland | INF | So. | Rio Rancho, NM / Rio Rancho |
| James Nelson | Minnesota Morris | INF | Jr. | Puyallup, Wash. / Rogers |
| Brian O’Dwyer | Wisconsin-Superior | INF | So. | Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove Senior |
| Isaac Pilon | Northwestern | INF | Jr. | Robbinsdale, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong |
| Alex Ritter | Martin Luther | INF | Jr. | Berrien Springs, MI / Michigan Lutheran |
| Matt Simpson | Northland | C | Sr. | Ladysmith, BC / Chemainus Secondary |
| Jacob Van Dam | Crown | P | Sr. | Edgerton, Minn. / Southwest MN Christian |
| Tanner Voight | Wisconsin-Superior | INF | So. | Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater Area |
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
| Name | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown / High School |
| Reed Brown | Bethany Lutheran | OF | Sr. | St. Michael, MN / St. Michael |
| Drew Girtz | Crown | UTL | So. | Elk River, MN / Elk River High |
| Riley Harbaugh | Wisconsin-Superior | RP | Jr. | Banks, Ore. / Banks |
| Caleb Heckendorf | Martin Luther | UTL | Sr. | Reno, NV / Luther Prep |
| Nick Julian | North Central | SP | Fr. | Trophy Club, TX / Byron Nelson |
| Ben Leal | Minnesota Morris | OF | Sr. | Newton, Iowa / Newton |
| Luke Maxwell | Northland | INF | Sr. | St. Louis, MI / St. Louis |
| Isaac Pilon | Northwestern | INF | Jr. | Robbinsdale, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong |
