LATHAM, N.Y. – Penn State Harrisburg baseball's Bret Williams and Drew Harshbarger have been named the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, to lead six all-conference honorees for the Lions, as announced by the conference on Friday morning, May 14.
For Williams, it is the second career conference player of the year award he's earned after being named the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Player of the Year in 2019. Harshbarger is the first hurler in program history to earn a conference pitcher of the year accolade.
Williams and Harshbarger joined teammates Dallas Hite and Matt Parks on the NEAC All-Conference First Team, while Zach Gettys and Chase Smith earned second-team all-conference recognition.
Williams is in the midst of an historic season that's seen him become just the fifth player in Division III history to hit 60-plus career home runs. His 17 homers this spring are tied for the most in the nation, he leads the country with 63 runs batted in, his 39 walks are the second-most among Division III players, and his 111 total bases are good enough to rank him eighth nationally. The senior is slashing an outstanding .472/.609/1.028 with a stellar 1.637 OPS, with both his slugging and on-base percentages ranking top-10 in the country. The outfielder has racked up 51 hits, including seven doubles and a triple, 50 runs, and 16 stolen bases. The Mount Carmel, Pa. native was named the NEAC Player of the Week in mid-April and has been named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week three times this spring (3/23, 4/13, 5/11).
Harshbarger has been stellar during his first season with the Blue & White, posting a 5-0 record and becoming just the second pitcher in program history to throw a no-hitter. In 35.2 innings pitched, the right hander recorded a 2.52 earned run average and racked up a team-high 50 strikeouts. His 0.79 WHIP is good enough to rank him 18th in the nation, his 4.54 hits per nine innings are strong enough to rank 20th in the country, and his 12.62 strikeouts per nine rank him top-50 among Division III pitchers. The McVeytown, Pa. native was twice named the NEAC Pitcher of the Week (4/5, 4/19) and he earned a spot on the D3baseball.com Team of the Week in early April (4/6).
Hite turned in a breakout junior campaign this spring, slashing .441/.507/.703 with a 1.210 OPS. The outfielder racked up a team-high 52 hits, including six long balls, nine doubles, and two triples. In addition to his 28 RBI and 42 runs scored, Hite's been a terror on the base paths, with his 21 stolen bases ranking him 28th among Division III players. Thanks to his efforts, the Lilly, Pa. native was named the NEAC Player of the Week earlier this month (5/3).
Parks emerged as a force in the middle of the Penn State Harrisburg lineup during his junior season. The third baseman's 36 RBI and 26 walks rank second among conference players, while his 48 hits, seven home runs, and 81 total bases ranks him third in the league. The Three Springs, Pa. native slashed .410/.524/.692 with a 1.216 OPS to go along with 36 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, and nine stolen bases. His walk-off grand slam secured a victory over No. 15 Shenandoah in mid-April and for his efforts, he was named the NEAC Player of the Week (4/19).
Gettys most-recent accolade is the second all-conference honor of his career after he was named to the CAC All-Conference Second Team in 2019. The lefty has made nine appearances this season with eight starts and 40.0 innings pitched. The junior earned a pair of wins, struck out 49 batters, and posted an ERA of 2.70. The York, Pa. native is striking out 11.03 batters per nine innings this spring and earlier this season, he was named the NEAC Pitcher of the Week after racking up 10 strikeouts in a victory over Penn College (3/29).
Smith's versatility has been on full display this season, as the outfielder has hit up and down the lineup, been aggressive on the base paths, and racked up 15 total extra-base knocks. The junior outfielder is slashing .336/.497/.552 this spring and has tallied 39 hits, including three home runs, eight doubles, and a team-high four triples. The Martinsburg, Pa. native has scored 48 runs and driven in 23 more to go along with 26 walks and 11 stolen bases.
Penn State Harrisburg is set to host Penn State Abington for the best-of-three NEAC Championship Series this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, May 16. The first pitch of the opening contest is scheduled for 12 p.m.