CHICAGO, Ill. – North Park Baseball saw four selections to the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Region 8 Team, as the organization announced on Tuesday. Senior two-way player Bobby Bartlett was a first-team selection, junior outfielder Alex DiVito and senior infielder Justin Swanson were second-team honorees and sophomore outfielder Joe Perona secured the first All-Region honors of his career with third-team accolades.
Bartlett continues to add more recognition to a sensational senior year and Viking career. Bartlett, a two-time first-team All-CCIW pick and the league's Player of the Year this season, was formidable at the plate and on the hill to guide the Vikings to a CCIW title. The left hander led NPU with a 3.36 ERA, .223 batting average against, .800 win-loss percentage, and was second on the team with 48 strikeouts. He only got better as the season went on, evidenced by his season high 10 strikeouts against Carthage in the CCIW Tournament. At the plate, Bartlett hit .370 with seven doubles, a home run, and 24 RBI while fielding .989 with 16 assists. He showcased an OBP of .454, scored 18 runs, and swiped four bases.
DiVito's hot start to the season barely fizzled, as the everyday center fielder for the Vikings boasted some of the top numbers in Division III Baseball for the majority of the season. DiVito led North Park in eight categories on offense: batting average (.396), slugging percentage (.574), on-base percentage (.495), runs scored (51), hits (67), home runs (5), total bases (97), and sac flies (5). He also added 11 doubles, a pair of triples, 23 walks and 33 stolen bases. He manned the outfield with a .980 fielding percentage and four assists. He had 19 multi-hit performances and had three games with 4+ hits. His 33 bases are tied for the fourth-best single season total at NPU while his 67 hits and 51 runs scored are 8th and 6th, respectively.
Swanson posted impressive numbers both at the plate and in the infield. The four-year starter up the middle finished his senior season with a slash line of .351 / .488 / .525 with a team-leading 12 doubles, a pair of triples, and four homers. He led the Vikings with 46 RBI, drew 28 walks, and was plunked at the plate 19 times this season. On defense, he fielded .985 with 103 assists and was a part of 25 double plays. His 84 total bases and 49 runs scored were second only to DiVito. Swanson has etched his name in a number of all-time categories at NPU, including: hits (t6,184), doubles (t4, 41), home runs (t14, 16), RBI (t8, 118), SLG% (22nd, .513), total bases (6th, 285), walks (4th, 107), OBP (.t7, .470), stolen bases (15th, 44), assists (6th, 334) and he's now the all-time leader in HBP with 45.
Perona earned three different weekly awards (NCBWA Hitter of the Week honorable mention, D3baseball Team of the Week, CCIW Hitter of the Week) for a string of performances against Carroll, Wheaton, and Dominican this season, now peaking with All-Region honors. The speedy leadoff hitter and everyday right fielder for the Vikings hit .351 with a .454 OBP, 60 hits, 36 RBI, eight doubles, a team-leading five triples, and a home run. He led the Vikings with 30 walks and struck out just 17 times in 171 at-bats. He also led the Vikings on the bases with 43 successful steals and finished the regular season as the eight-best base stealer in Division III. Finally Perona's 20 multi-hit games were the best on the team, boasting seven 3-hit games.
About the ABCA - Info on Upcoming Awards
The 2024 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region teams and Regional Players of the Year have been announced in all 10 regions. The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America & Coach of the Year Committee.
The Chair of the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America & Coach of the Year Committee is Paul Hesse of the University of Mount Union. Also on the committee are Justin Beach (SUNY Brockport), Brian Casey (U.S. Coast Guard Academy), Dean Glus (The College of New Jersey), Dan Gomez (Western New England University), Ray Hedrick (Randolph-Macon College), Luke Johnson (North Park University), Scott Laverty (Chapman University), Yogi Lutz (Alvernia University) and Kevin Tomasiewicz (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh).
The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-America teams will be announced the evening of Thursday, May 30 immediately following the Opening Ceremony at the 2024 NCAA Div. III World Series in Eastlake, Ohio. Only First Team All-Region selections are eligible for All-America honors.
The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams for all divisions will be announced on Wednesday, June 19. The 2024 ABCA NCAA Div. III Region All-Defensive teams will be announced on Thursday, June 20.
The ABCA All-America team was first recognized in 1949 and now includes nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division, and high school. ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were first recognized in 2007.
