MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Bret Williams has been named the D3baseball.com Mid-Atlantic Regional Player of the Year to lead four all-region selections for Penn State Harrisburg. Williams was joined by teammates Dallas Hite, Drew Harshbarger, and Matt Parks as all-region honorees.
Williams and Hite were named to the D3baseball.com Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team, while Harshbarger and Parks earned second-team all-region recognition.
Williams recently completed his collegiate career as one of the most successful players in NCAA Division III history. He ranks second all-time in total bases (548), tied for fourth all-time in home runs (63), fifth all-time in runs batted in (250), tied for fifth all-time in hits (290), and sixth all-time in runs scored (232). He wrapped up an historic 2021 campaign that saw him named the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Player of the Year after earning a spot on the all-conference first team. His 43 walks this spring are tops in the nation, his 66 RBI rank him third in the country, and his 17 homers are fourth-best among Division III players. The senior slashed an outstanding .450/.586/.915 with a stellar 1.501 OPS, with both his slugging and on-base percentages ranking top-five in the nation. The outfielder racked up 58 hits, including seven doubles and a triple, 118 total bases, 55 runs, and 16 stolen bases. The Mount Carmel, Pa. native was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week three times this spring (3/23, 4/13, 5/11) and was tabbed the NEAC Player of the Week in mid-April (4/12). Thanks to his impressive postseason play, he was named the NEAC Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Hite turned in a breakout junior campaign this spring, slashing .441/.497/.685 with a 1.182 OPS. The outfielder racked up a team-high 63 hits, including seven long balls, 10 doubles, and a pair of triples. In addition to his 29 RBI and 47 runs scored, Hite's been a terror on the base paths, with his 21 stolen bases ranking him 36th among Division III players. Thanks to his efforts, the Lilly, Pa. native was named to the NEAC All-Conference First Team after earning conference player of the week recognition earlier this month (5/3).
Harshbarger was stellar during his first season with the Blue & White, posting a 7-0 record and becoming just the second pitcher in program history to throw a no-hitter. In 48.1 innings pitched, the right hander recorded a 2.79 earned run average and racked up a team-high 61 strikeouts. His 5.03 hits-per-nine-innings average is strong enough to rank him ninth in the nation, while his 0.91 WHIP is good enough to rank him 27th in the country. The McVeytown, Pa. native was named the NEAC Pitcher of the Year and garnered NEAC All-Conference First-Team honors for his efforts. The junior 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).
Parks emerged as a force in the middle of the Blue & White lineup during his junior campaign. The third baseman racked up 40 RBI and 30 walks to go along with 52 hits, seven home runs, and 86 total bases. The Three Springs, Pa. native slashed .380/.497/.628 with a 1.125 OPS to go along with 42 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples, and nine stolen bases. His walk-off grand slam secured a victory over No. 15 Shenandoah in mid-April, while his bases-loaded, walk-off single against Penn State Abington in the deciding game of the NEAC Championship Tournament clinched the conference title for the Penn State Harrisburg. For his efforts, he was named to the NEAC All-Conference First Team after earning NEAC Player of the Week recognition last month (4/19).
In addition to their individual accomplishments, the foursome helped lead Penn State Harrisburg to a conference championship, its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, eight wins against nationally and regionally-ranked opponents, and an NCAA Tournament victory over No. 24 Texas Lutheran this season.
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