NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- North Park Baseball saw a program record seven players honored by the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) as the league announced its all-conference list on Tuesday afternoon. Headlining the awards were senior Bobby Bartlett and Head Coach Luke Johnson, who were the respective Player and Co-Coach of the Year.
Coach Johnson secured the fourth Coach of the Year nod of his career, sharing the title with co-champs' head coach Brandon Townsend of Millikin. The Vikings, who were predicted to finish fifth in the Preseason CCIW Coaches' Poll, won their seventh title in program history on Saturday after finishing the season with a conference record of 16-4. The Vikings won all but one series this season, including taking two of three games from the Big Blue. Currently, North Park holds Division III rankings in stolen bases (7th, 126), Fielding Percentage (12th, 0.974), Hit-By-Pitch (12th, 91), WHIP (31st, 1.38), and ERA (34th, 4.10).
Bartlett picks up the second First Team All-CCIW honor of his career, alongside Player of the Year recognition by the league. The senior from Winfield, Illinois has gotten better each season he has played. This year, Bartlett posted a team-leading .388 batting average facing CCIW pitchers, slugging .531 with 12 RBI and a .483 OBP. He hit a walkoff home run against Millikin, securing the series victory.
On the hill, Bartlett also led the NPU staff with a 1.53 ERA (second in the CCIW) and a.208 BAA against CCIW hitters (fourth in the CCIW). He struck out 19 against eight walks in his 29.1 IP, going undefeated at 3-0. In all four of his CCIW starts, he went at least seven innings and lowered his ERA each outing.
Senior DH Garrett Bragg, junior outfielder Alex DiVito, and senior infielder Justin Swanson represented the other first-team picks for the Vikings.
Bragg picks up first team acknowledgment at a different position this season, after being honored as a catcher in 2023. The clutch hitter for NPU slashed .344 / .450 / .531 against CCIW pitching with six doubles and a pair of homers. He drove in 18 runners and scored 13 times while also swiping three bases. Platooning at first base, Bragg played perfectly in the infield, picking it at 1.000 with seven assists. He hit a game-tying home run against Carroll in the bottom of the eighth to help the Vikings secure a comeback win.
DiVito took significant strides in 2024, vaulting himself into the national spotlight to pick up the first all-conference award of his career. The Vikings' two hitter led NPU with a .577 SLG%, 27 runs scored, and .485 OBP in CCIW games while also leading the Vikings with 15 stolen bases and three homers. He hit .359 with four doubles, a pair of triples, and drove in 19 runners. Defensively, he made just one error in center field during conference play, adding a pair of assists and 48 putouts.
Swanson is a first teamer for the third time in his career, earning the same honor in 2022 and 2023. The feared Viking slugger slashed .372 / .459 / .538 against CCIW pitching with a team-leading 23 RBI and 19 runs scored. He cracked six doubles, two triples, and a homer while stealing nine bases. He had at least one hit in 16 of 20 CCIW games. Defensively, he made just one error to boast a .990 FLD% with 50 assists from second base.
Three sophomores made up the second-team selections for North Park: right handers Ethan Condit and Brandon Leidolph and outfielder Joe Perona.
Condit moved from spot starter to go-to bullpen arm, producing one of the best stat lines for a CCIW reliever. Condit showcased a 1.86 conference ERA in 10 appearances (10.2 IP), leading the Vikings with four wins and three saves. He struck out three times as many batters as he walked (18-6) and allowed only three extra-base hits to CCIW hitters. In eight of his 10 appearances, he did not allow an earned run.
Leidolph kept CCIW hitters guessing all season, utilizing a heavy fastball and sharp breaking ball to stay unpredictable. Second only to Bartlett, he had a 2.78 conference ERA with a .238 BAA. He led the Vikings with 26 strikeouts against 10 walks and logged the most innings on the mound at 32.1. Leidolph racked up 5+ strikeouts in three different starts, including a career high eight in Kenosha against Carthage.
Perona also burst into the national spotlight this season, keeping pitchers in a panic on the bases. The speedy leadoff hitter ranked in the top 15 of Division III base stealers for most of the season, concluding the CCIW slate with 14. He hit .341 with a .420 OBP while slugging .489. Perona scored 20 times and drove in as many runners, while fielding perfectly in right field with a pair of assists. He earned three different weekly awards for a string of performances against Carroll, Wheaton, and Dominican.
Additionally, Cole Fiorenza was North Park's representative for the CCIW's RESPECT Award. Fiorenza is also a nominee for NPU Male Sportsperson of the Year.
About the RESPECT Award
At the conclusion of every sports season, each varsity program will recognize one student-athlete as their RESPECT Award honoree. RESPECT Award recipients have distinguished themselves as an integral member of the team, their institution and community by upholding the values of Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Service, Pride, Excellence, Collaboration and Trust. The RESPECT Award recognizes the intangible traits a student-athlete possesses that exemplify great character and encourages inclusiveness and a positive culture.
