RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist had six players named to the All-Great American Conference squad on Wednesday, highlighted by
Alex Schroeder's placement on the first team.
In addition to Schroeder,
Dan Pruitt and
Jake Hamilton garnered All-GAC Second Team honors while
Brek Galbreath,
Kade Self and
Jayden Shafer made the honorable mention squad.
Schroeder, a junior, was a second-team honoree a season ago. OBU's primary catcher ranked third in the league in slugging (.739), seventh in RBI (60) and tied for GAC lead with 21 homers. In 51 games played, Schroeder notched multiple hits in 18 of those and drove in a season-high four in three different contests. The Rocklin, Calif., native also posted a .977 fielding mark.
At first base was Pruitt who turned in another outstanding season. He ranked in the top five of the GAC in numerous categories. He was second in slugging (.800) and runs scored (69) and checked in at third in home runs (19), RBI (69) and triples (5). Pruitt is on an incredible 26-game hitting streak now which included a season-best 5-for-5 performance versus Southwestern on April 8. Furthermore, Pruitt was named to the All-GAC Defensive Team for the second straight year.
The other second-team honoree was Hamilton. His senior season has brought a few standout moments, most notably on March 4 at Northwestern Oklahoma State. Hamilton struck out a career-high 14 batters which were the second-highest total by a Bison pitcher in the D2 era. The Asher, Okla., native ended up ranking fourth in the GAC in strikeouts (97) and sixth in opponent batting average (.239). Plus, he struck out at least six in nine different appearances.
Rounding out OBU's selections were Galbreath, Self and Shafer.
Galbreath's honor was his first. This season, his eight wins on the mound were tied for the GAC lead. The Joshua, Texas native also checked in at fifth with 26 strikeouts looking and fourth in innings pitched (84.1). His season-bests include 10 strikeouts at Southern Nazarene on April 28 and no earned runs allowed in eight innings pitched at SWOSU on April 7.
Self is now a two-time All-GAC selection. The Shawnee native was the conference leader with 73 RBI. Plus, he ranked third in hits with 73 and ranked in the top-ten with 12 homers. Self's best game of the season came March 31 when he posted a 5-for-6 line with a double, homer and six RBI against East Central. Self also drove in six against Pittsburg State on Feb. 4.
OBU's final selection was Shafer. The newcomer's ability in the batter's box was a main reason this Bison squad advanced into the final four of the GAC Tournament. The Tecumseh native had a .364 average at the completion of the regular season which was just outside the top-ten in the GAC. He had a 15-game hitting streak at one point during the season and posted 10 doubles with six homers and 48 runs scored.
In addition to these honors,
Jonah Mahen was named a GAC Elite Scholar Athlete while
Austin Albright,
Jordan Brewer and
Nolan Feazle garnered Distinguished Scholar Athlete recognition.
