Freshman of the Year Ross Headlines GAC Baseball Awards

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced its postseason baseball awards on Wednesday, and multiple Henderson State Reddies received accolades.

Infielder Tanner Ross was named GAC Freshman of the Year and was a second-team All-GAC honoree. Ross, a Texarkana, Arkansas native, was the only player to start in all 47 games for the Reddies this season. He hit .320 on the year, leading the team in hits (58), home runs (16), and RBI (50). Ross was also the team leader with a .663 slugging percentage and a 1.054 OPS while ranking second on the team with a .984 fielding percentage and 21 double plays turned, playing both first and third base throughout the season.

Senior Pitcher Ethan Roark was the lone Reddie named to the All-GAC first team. Roark, a Flint, Texas native, served as the ace of the Henderson pitching staff all season long and boasted a 2-3 record with three complete-game shutouts. He led the conference with 88 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched and was third in the league with an opposing batting average of .231. Roark allowed just 60 hits and 28 earned runs all season.

In addition to Ross, sophomore pitcher Rhett Richardson was named to the second team. Richardson, a Smackover, Arkansas native, started seven games and made 13 appearances in 2026, boasting a 5-1 record with three saves and a conference-best 2.59 ERA. In 48.2 innings pitched, Richardson yielded just 28 hits and 14 earned runs to go along with 44 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .168, which was the best in the league.

Senior outfielder Nate Moore was named to the conference's All-Defensive team. The senior from Texarkana, Texas boasted a fielding percentage of .981 this season with three outfield assists while committing just two errors.

HSU was also well represented in the academic awards. Roark, senior catcher Adam Garcia, and junior pitcher Hunter Rook were all named Elite Scholar Athletes. This award is given only to student-athletes with the highest
GPA, with a minimum of 70 credit hours. Connor Bobbitt, Ryan Dugan, Cale Edmonds, Grant Fitch, Dawson Goines, Aidan Harrell, Cooper McClure, Seth Mejia, Devin Meyers, Hank Penfield, Andrew Pilcher, Richardson, Lucas Shipman, Kaden Smith, and Shane Songer were all named to the GAC Academic Honor Roll. All athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and a minimum of one year of full-time college residency are eligible for this honor.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Nate Moore: OF; 5' 10"; Senior; R/R

#4 Cooper McClure: INF; 6' 1"; Junior; R/R

#7 Cale Edmonds: RHP/SS; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#32 Ethan Roark: RHP; 6' 4"; Senior; R/R

#36 Dawson Goines: RHP; 6' 4"; Senior; R/R

#2 Grant Fitch: OF; 6' 0"; Junior; L/L

#5 Hank Penfield: C; 5' 10"; Freshman; R/R

#8 Adam Garcia: C; 5' 10"; Senior; L/R

#10 Tanner Ross: RHP/3B; 6' 4"; Freshman; R/R

#17 Seth Mejia: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#1 Nate Moore
: 5' 10"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#4 Cooper McClure
: 6' 1"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#7 Cale Edmonds
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: RHP/SS

#32 Ethan Roark
: 6' 4"; Senior; R/R
: RHP

#36 Dawson Goines
: 6' 4"; Senior; R/R
: RHP

#2 Grant Fitch
: 6' 0"; Junior; L/L
: OF

#5 Hank Penfield
: 5' 10"; Freshman; R/R
: C

#8 Adam Garcia
: 5' 10"; Senior; L/R
: C

#10 Tanner Ross
: 6' 4"; Freshman; R/R
: RHP/3B

#17 Seth Mejia
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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