Top Honors For Division I Baseball Announced

The 2026 Division I All-Region baseball teams were officially announced Monday, with Iowa Western and Indian Hills notching top honors while all three teams in the region placed multiple athletes on the First Team.

Starting off the special award winners was Iowa Western's Justin Rompré, who took home the ICCAC Player of the Year award. Rompré crushed the baseball all year and led the conference in batting average (.432), RBIs (94), home runs (19), doubles (23) and slugging percentage (.917). He racked up a conference high in total bases (155). Rompré is the sixth-straight Reiver to receive the annual award.

The Pitcher of the Year honor was awarded to Iowa Western's Brynner Waiolama. Waiolama was a shutdown reliever for the Reivers all season. In 31 innings, he had a 2.32 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and 41 strikeouts. He leads ICCAC Division I in saves (7), as well, tied for eighth-most in the country.

The Defensive Player of the Year award was shared by Owen Baxter of Iowa Western and Boris Rodriguez of Indian Hills.

Baxter, a catcher, was strong all season behind the plate. He committed one error in 203 total chances and threw out six runners. His best defensive game was against Indian Hills on April 8, when he had 10 putouts and two assists in 12 total chances while throwing out two runners en route to a big conference win.

Rodriguez was a premier shortstop in the ICCAC this season. He had 103 assists and 54 putouts in 162 total chances. He also helped turn 18 double plays. He ended the year with a .969 fielding percentage and committed only five errors. His best defensive game was against Southeast (neb.) on March 14, when he had three putouts and seven assists in 10 total chances while fielding two double plays.

Rounding out the special awards is Iowa Western's Ryan Cougill. He guided Iowa Western to a third-straight Region 11 title and a 47-11 overall record. The Reivers advanced to the Midwest District and went all the way to the if necessary championship game before falling 6-5 to Wabash Valley (Ill.)

Outside of Rompré and Waiolama, Iowa Western had four other First Team All-Region selections: pitcher Aiden Lieser, designated hitter Dylan England, outfielder Nolan Geislinger and catcher Martin Serrano. 

Indian Hills totaled four First Team All-Region selections in outfielder Callum Donnelly, infielder Diego Mendez, infielder Gage Perri and pitcher Yuan-Kai Chang.

The final three First Team All-Region selections were Southwestern pitcher Andrew Guzman, outfielder Brayden Mitchell and infielder Ismael Bencosme. All three played critical roles on the Spartans' roster.

Player of the Year: Justin Rompré, Iowa Western

Pitcher of the Year: Brynner Waiolama, Iowa Western

Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Boris Rodriguez, Indian Hills | Owen Baxter, Iowa Western

Coach of the Year: Ryan Cougill, Iowa Western