RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist landed six Bison on the 2023 All-Great American Conference teams, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Redshirt senior linebacker Scooter Baker headed OBU with an All-GAC first-team honor, four earned second-team nods. Those were junior wide receiver Nick Harris, redshirt junior offensive lineman Jake Sitsler, sophomore defensive lineman Brett Karhu, and sophomore defensive back Tainique Taylor. Rounding out the Bison honorees was senior wideout Michael Marshall, who picked an All-GAC honorable mention recognition.
It is the most Bison named to the All-GAC teams since 2021, when nine picked up the league's end-of-the-year honor.
Baker, a native of Jacksonville, Texas, collects his second career first-team accolade in his first season on Bison Hill. He last notched a spot on the first-team squad in 2021 as a member of Southeastern Oklahoma State.
Baker is the only OBU linebacker to claim a spot on the first team since the program joined the GAC in 2015.
Baker's recognition is plenty deserving after leading the GAC and ranking fourth in the nation in tackles. He amassed a school-record 118 tackles, averaging 10.7 per contest, in 11 games of work. Of that figure, 70 stops were assisted, breaking the OBU single-season assisted tackles record.
Baker tallied double-digit tackles on six occasions, including back-to-back performances with 19 stops. That, too, set a new Oklahoma Baptist program record, breaking the previous mark of 18 tackles in a game.
He added career highs in tackles-for-loss (10.5), sacks (4.0), and pass break-ups (3). His TFL total ranked ninth in the conference and accounted for 32 yards lost, while his sacks finished second for OBU. Baker was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week twice for his efforts during the season.
Nick Harris earns his first-career All-GAC nod after leading the conference in touchdowns (7) and racking up the second-most receiving yards on the team (545). Harris, who has dealt with injuries since arriving at OBU in 2021, had not recorded any playing time before this season.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Harris registered 32 receptions and averaged 49.5 yards per game. His best outing came against Southern Nazarene, where he hauled in five passes for 115 yards and two scores. Harris was one of three Bison to catch two touchdowns in a game this season.
Additionally, Harris had a three-game streak with a touchdown catch, including back-to-back games with 90-plus yards during the span.
Sitsler, a redshirt junior from Salina, Okla., also earns his first career honor. His contribution from the right tackle position was pivotal towards an offense that produced over 300 yards per game. He was also a part of an offensive line that allowed the second-least amount of sacks in the Great American Conference.
Karhu put on the best season from a defensive lineman in OBU history, recording a program-record (DII era) 11.5 sacks to go along with 17.5 tackles-for-loss. It is his first All-GAC honor.
Karhu led the GAC in both categories, something no Bison has done in school history. His sacks ranked sixth in the country, while his total TFL finished 12th.
Only a sophomore, Karhu added the sixth-most tackles on the team (41) and seven quarterback hurries. Karhu kick-started the year with a 3.0 sack and 4.0 TFL performance against Arkansas Tech, earning him conference Player of the Week honors. Two games later, he'd begin an eight-game streak with either a sack or a half-of-sack that concluded a week ago.
Also a sophomore, Taylor claims his first All-Conference award after pairing the second-most pass break-ups in the GAC (17) with two interceptions in a record-setting season. Nationally, Taylor finished sixth in passes defended.
One of his interceptions, notched against Southern Arkansas, he returned for a program-record 78 yards.
Taylor was just as effective in returning kicks and punts, racking up 198 combined return yards. He returned one punt 54 yards for a touchdown to cement OBU's victory against Arkansas-Monticello. Taylor was named the GAC Special Teams Player of the Week for the action.
It was just the second punt return in program history and the first of the Division II era.
The last honoree, Marshall, recorded the fifth-most receiving yards (561) in the GAC. A career-best year for the senior, he hauled in the most passes on the team (44) and scored three times to earn his first All-GAC nod.
Marshall put on the best game of his tenure on Bison Hill against Southeastern Oklahoma State, going for 136 yards on six catches with two touchdowns.
