Reivers Sweep 2024 Special Awards as All-Region Announced for Division I Baseball

The Division I All-Region 11 Baseball teams were announced on Wednesday, with 10 of the 12 First Team All-Region selections coming from Iowa Western. 

The Reivers also swept the individual awards as well, receiving Player, Pitcher, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year honors.

Kyle Hvidsten was named the 2024 ICCAC Division I Player of the Year. He led the conference in home runs (16) and a slugging percentage (.829), while having 136 total bases. He has 66 RBI, 57 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, and a batting average of .411 in 51 games, through the Region 11 Championship series. While being awarded Player of the Year, he was also named First Team All-Region at the designated hitter position.

Hvidsten's home run, slugging and hit by pitch numbers are all top 25 in the NJCAA this season.

Pitcher of the Year went to Logan Olson. The sophomore left-hander has appeared in 12 games this season, going 9-0 in his recorded starts. In 38.1 innings pitched, Olson has an ERA of just 2.58 and a WHIP of 1.12. The First Teamer struck out 42 ICCAC hitters and only allowed four earned runs in conference play (25.1 innings).

First Team All-Region infielder AJ Singer was awarded the ICCAC's Defensive Player of the Year honor. Singer has 40 putouts and 113 assists in 157 total chances. He has just four errors resulting in a .966 fielding percentage. On the season, Singer has turned a total of 18 double plays.

Nate Voss was the lone First Team selection at the catcher position. The Reiver allowed just five stolen bases in conference play while throwing out eight. He has committed zero errors in 245 total chances this season. At the plate, he's slugged .737 with seven home runs and 27 RBI on the year.

The Iowa Western teammates, Noah Scott and Luke Broderick round out the First Team pitcher category, joining Olson. Scott has appeared in 13 games this season, holding a 11-1 record. The Colorado native has an ERA of 2.39 and 59 K's in 60.1 innings. 

Broderick turned on the second half of the season, especially during conference play. The right-hander had an ERA of 0.78 (only two earned runs) and 27 strikeouts in 23 innings.

Raul Torres of Indian Hills received a First Team All-Region selection. Torres led the conference in hits with 47 during conference play. He was top five in walks (20), RBI (44), and runs (40). The sophomore infielder batted .382 at the dish and had a .577 slugging percentage in 33 conference games. 

Evan Saunders and Brayden Smith also made First Team in the infield. 

Smith led the conference in runs (49), hits (47), total bases (90), walks (22), and slugging percentage (.804) during conference games. He is the only returning First Team All-Region performer on this year's list. 

Saunders has hit 10 home runs and collected 55 RBI in 49 games. At first base, Saunders only made three errors and had a fielding percentage of .977. Both Saunders and Smith have a BA over .400 on the year as well.

Endi Jaquez of Indian Hills batted .374 and stole 20 bases in his 49 games played. The First Team outfielder had 61 hits on the year, including four triples and eight doubles. On defense, Jaquez had a fielding percentage of .912 and made 44 putouts. 

Josh Wakefield and Reese Harmon round out the outfield for the First Team All-Region selections. Wakefield hit .398 with 31 RBI through the Region 11 Championship. He stole 22 bases and was only caught stealing four times. 

Harmon was excellent in the field, collecting 40 putouts in 42 total chances. Harmon at the dish knocked in 38 runners and had 42 hits as well.

Coach of the Year went to Ryan Cougill of Iowa Western. In just his second season in Council Bluffs, Cougill has coached the Reivers to a 50-7 overall record and only had two conference losses in 33 games. The Reivers also have gone 26-1 at home. 

Iowa Western won the Region 11 Championship, regaining the crown after Indian Hills won in 2023. The Reivers will play in the Midwest District Tournament May 15-17 at Wabash Valley for a chance to go to the NJCAA World Series.