CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Today the Mid-American Conference announced the All-MAC First Team, Second Team & Specialty Award selections for the 2024 season. The teams were voted on by the Conference's head coaches. The All-Defensive Team has also been announced.
 
Bowling Green's Nathan Archer was named MAC Player of the Year, while Ball State's Merritt Beeker was tabbed the MAC Pitcher of the Year. Bowling Green's Garrett Wright earned Freshman of the Year accolades, while Ball State's Keegan Johnson was selected as the Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Ball State's Michael Hallquist earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, while BGSU's Kyle Hallock rounded out the speciality awards by being selected as the Coach of the Year.

Archer led not only the Falcons, but the Mid-American Conference this season on his way to MAC Player of the Year, All-MAC First Team and All-MAC Defensive Team honors. Archer tallied 65 runs, leading the MAC, and 62 RBI, third in the MAC, to become the only MAC player this season to rank inside the top three in the conference for both stats. He added 17 home runs and three triples, joining Miami's Zach MacDonald as the only two players in the MAC with 15+ home runs and 3+ triples. Archer also paced the conference in at-bats with 233, breaking the program record in the process. He filled out the stat sheet by leading the team in hits (72) and doubles (14) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.614). As for the defensive side, Archer finished with the ninth-best fielding percentage in the conference (.993) and logged 149 putouts. Archer is the third Falcon in program history to be named MAC Player of the Year and the first since Nolan Reimold in 2005. This is his first time on the All-MAC First Team, being named Second Team last year, and his second All-MAC Defensive Team honors, earning it last season as well. 

Beeker was named the Pitcher of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches after leading the league in strikeouts (116) and tying for the lead with eight wins (8-3 overall record). Beeker posted a 4.50 ERA in 72.0 innings on the year while sporting a 7-0 record, 3.12 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 57.2 innings against MAC opponents. The lefty ranks No. 8 in NCAA Division I in total strikeouts and No. 7 in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.5).

Wright put together a strong freshmen campaign for the Orange and Brown. At the plate, Wright led the MAC in on-base percentage with a mark of .506 and set the program record for hit-by-pitch in a season with 19, ranking second in the conference. Wright added a .393 batting average, ranking first on the team, second in the MAC and first among freshmen. He also slotted in first among true freshmen in the conference for slugging percentage (.607), resulting in the fourth-best OPS (1.113) in the MAC and first among MAC freshmen. As for in the field, Wright posted a .990 fielding percentage with 271 putouts and caught seven runners stealing, eighth in the MAC. Wright is just the third freshman in program history to earn First Team honors, joining Nathan Rose's 2021 season at third base and DJ Newman last year as a designated hitter. Wright is the program's sixth player to earn Freshman of the Year honors and fourth offensively. DJ Newman was the last to be named, receiving it last year as a pitcher, and Kyle Gurney in 2021 was the last hitter for BGSU. Wright is also just the second BGSU catcher to be named All-MAC Defensive Team and the first since Trey Keegan in 2015. 

Johnson was voted the Freshman Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference after working an 8-2 record with a 4.68 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched during the regular season. The lefty went 6-1 against MAC teams and allowed only a .228 batting average against them to finish in a tie for first amongst league starting pitchers. Johnson's 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings ranks No. 41 nationally.

Hallquist tied for the league lead with 20 home runs, hitting a MAC-best 14 in conference play, while also pacing the MAC and ranking No. 33 nationally with 153 total bases. The transfer infielder began the year as the team's starting third baseman before moving over to shortstop in mid-March and posted a .971 fielding percentage (.977 in MAC play) while making multiple highlight reel plays throughout the season.

Coach Hallock led the Falcons to one of the best regular seasons in program history. The Falcons registered 24 MAC wins, setting the program record, and secured the top seed in the MAC Tournament while appearing in the tournament for the first time since 2015. The outright MAC title is the first for the Falcons since 2009 and the 30-win season is BGSU's first since 2010 and just 15th in program history. As a team, the Falcons set the MAC baseball record for the best start, beginning MAC play 17-0, which ranked second in BGSU Athletics history. Additionally, Hallock oversaw the Bowling Green pitching staff that broke the program record for strikeouts in a season. The team also broke the program record for walks in a single season and maintained the sixth-best offense in the nation with an average of 9.4 runs per game. This is Hallock's first Coach of the Year recognition and the fourth for the program after Danny Schmitz received it in 1994, 1995 and 2009. Hallock is also the first individual in MAC history to be named MAC Player of the Year as a student-athlete and MAC Coach of the Year as a head coach, being the MAC's Pitcher of the Year in 2011 with Kent State. 

The MAC Baseball Tournament begins tomorrow at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio as No. 3 Ball State takes on No. 6 Toledo at 12:30 p.m. ET, while No. 4 Miami faces No. 5 Kent State at 6 p.m. ET. Both games can be seen on ESPN+.