ABCA.org – Mike Sears was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Midwest Region First Team highlighting five Indiana State baseball players named to the squad as the organization announced the All-Region teams on Tuesday.
 
Sears was named the First Team honoree at third base, while Luis Hernandez (1B), Randal Diaz (SS), Brennyn Cutts (SP), and Zach Davidson (RP) also received honors as voted on by members of the ABCA.
 
Sears earns All-Region recognition for the first time in his collegiate career after setting the Indiana State single season and career home run marks over the 2024 season. The Cincinnati, Ohio native hit .274 from the plate with a Missouri Valley-best 24 home runs and 77 runs batted in, while leading ISU with 20 doubles and a .726 slugging percentage. Sears posted a 1.121 OPS on the year with 55 runs scored on the season.
 
The redshirt senior third baseman finished the 2024 season with 13 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI contests including three games of six or more RBIs on the year. He added five multi-homer games coming against Florida A&M, UIC, Belmont, and Valparaiso (twice). He finished the season strong down the stretch hitting .348 over the final month of the season posting 19 extra-base hits (10 doubles, nine home runs) and added 33 RBIs with a .909 slugging percentage in wrapping up his Sycamore career.
 
Hernandez earns All-Region honors for the first time as the Gurabo, Puerto Rico native finished the season top-five in the Missouri Valley in batting average (.359), slugging percentage (.694), OPS (1.115), hits (89), RBI (76), and home runs (23). The junior first baseman scored a team-high 60 runs on the year and added 14 doubles in a standout performance after making the shift from designated hitter to first base on the season.
 
Hernandez led Indiana State with 24 multi-RBI contests and 27 multi-hit games over the course of the 2024 season. He posted a 24-game hitting streak that spanned most of February, March, and early April, while adding a 26-game on-base streak through the season. Hernandez connected on multi-homer games against Xavier, Belmont, and Valparaiso, while adding five-RBI contests against both Xavier and Bradley on the season.
 
Diaz earns All-Region recognition for the first time as the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native wrapped up the 2024 season as one of the hottest hitters in the country down the stretch. The junior shortstop hit .425 over the final month of the season with 34 hits, eight home runs, and 19 RBIs, while adding a .775 slugging percentage and .478 on-base percentage. He finished the season on a career-best 32-game hitting streak and a 38-game on-base streak running from mid-March into the Lexington Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Diaz finished the season among the Missouri Valley leaders in a multitude of statistical categories including batting average (.360), slugging percentage (.632), on-base percentage (.432), OPS (1.069), hits (91), and home runs (18) from his spot atop the Indiana State batting order. He paced ISU with 30 multi-hit games and added 12 multi-hit contests over the season.
 
Cutts continues the trend of Indiana State starting pitchers earning All-Region accolades as the junior right-hander picked up his first recognition on the team. The Greenup, Ill. native was among the Valley leaders in multiple statistical categories on his way to being named the 2024 MVC Pitcher of the Year. Cutts led the conference in ERA (3.69) and opposing batting average (.220), while finishing among the conference leaders in innings (83.0), strikeouts (75), strikeouts looking (25), and wins (7).
 
Cutts put on a clinic at the Lexington Regional in his final outing of the 2024 season in recording posted first 9.0-inning complete game of his collegiate career in an elimination game against Illinois. Cutts allowed eight hits and two runs while striking out five in a dominant performance and took advantage of three double plays to keep Illinois off the bases in the win. It marked his second complete game of the season after posting a 7.0-inning win over Bradley where he allowed two hits and one run while striking out six in the 11-1 win.
 
Davidson earned All-Region accolades for the first time as the Hartsburg, Mo. native was dominant for the Sycamores out of the bullpen down the stretch run in the 2024 season. Over his final five appearances (four relief, one start), Davidson posted a 4-1 record and 1.04 ERA over a team-high 26.0 innings, while adding a 43:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .183 opponent batting average. The senior left-hander highlighted the month with a 10-strikeout game over 4.1 innings against Evansville, while adding 14 strikeouts over a 7.1-inning relief outing in the MVC Tournament against Murray State.
 
Davidson was elite out of the bullpen for Indiana State on the season with a 5-2 record and 2.56 ERA over 23 appearances on the year. He went 56.1 innings with three saves, while finishing second on the team and fourth in the Missouri Valley with 83 strikeouts. Opponents hit just .172 against the Sycamore reliever on the year. He recorded 14 multi-inning appearances on the season and 18 appearances with multiple strikeouts on the year.
 
Indiana State's five players on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region team are the most in program history since the Sycamores placed three on the squad back in 1993 (Casey Whitten – P, Demetrius Dowler – OF, Stoney Burke – C). The Sycamores have been represented on the team in each of the last four seasons.
 
The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-America teams will be announced the morning of Friday, June 14 prior to the start of the 2024 NCAA Div. I College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. First Team All-Region selections are eligible for All-America honors.
 
The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners in all divisions will be announced on Wednesday, June 19. ABCA/Rawlings National Pitchers and Position Players of the Year will be announced on Monday, June 24.
 
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.
 
About the ABCA
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel Baseball.
 
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings' unparalleled quality and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and an approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.
 
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