NAMPA, Idaho - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) and Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) have released the 2024 All-Region Teams for baseball, with six Northwest Nazarene members earning West Region honors.

For the NCBWA, Joe Schaefer headlines the awards with the West Region Coach of the Year accolade, while Wade Duncan earned First Team at the relief pitcher position. Kyle Ethridge (starting pitcher) and Trevor Tishenkel (outfielder) both received Second Team honors, while Cole Calnon wrapping up the recognitions with an Honorable Mention nod at shortstop.

On the D2CCA side, Bryan Rojas garnered a First Team All-Region nod at the utility/pitcher position, while Ethridge and TIshenkel again received Second Team honors.

After the team finished under .500 a year ago, Coach Schaefer turned things around in a big way for NNU this year with a 36-13-1 overall mark and 23-9 GNAC record, currently besting last years' win total by 12 victories. The Nighthawks won both the GNAC Regular Season and Tournament titles and have reached the NCAA postseason for the third time in the last four seasons, and the 36 wins broke the program record for victories in a season (previously 35 in 2021). With the GNAC tournament title, Schaefer earned the 500th win of his collegiate coaching career between NNU and Point Loma. NNU has been ranked in the NCBWA Top 25 for most of the season, reaching as high as 10th in the poll on two occasions. 

Of all players on the team with at least one inning pitched, Duncan leads the Nighthawks with a 2.04 ERA. He earns this First Team All-Region nod after being named First Team All-GNAC as NNU's closer, tallying nine saves and a 6-1 record across 35 1/3 innings in 20 relief appearances. He also has 30 strikeouts and just two walks. His saves mark is 12^th in the nation.

Rojas was one of the best two-way players in the region after returning from injury in late March. He made six starts on the mound and the Nighthawks won all six of them, with Rojas compiling a 2.93 ERA across 30 2/3 innings with 22 strikeouts and seven walks. At the plate, Rojas hit .337 in 26 games, registering six doubles, a triple, and 15 RBIs.

Ethridge adds Second Team All-Region honors to his GNAC Co-Pitcher of the Year award, holding a 3.76 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 76.2 innings. He is 5-3 in 12 starts with 55 strikeouts and just eight walks. He is third in the nation with just 0.94 walks allowed per nine innings, sixth in the nation in WHIP, and seventh with a 6.88 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Named a First Team All-GNAC outfielder, Tishenkel adds the Second Team All-Region recognitions while leading qualified hitters on the team with a .343 batting average, 1.025 OPS, 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .635 slugging percentage. He also has scored 39 runs and stolen five bases in seven attempts. He leads the team with 13 multi-RBI games this year and is currently on a team-leading 10-game hitting streak.

Named First Team All-GNAC at shortstop, Calnon earns Honorable Mention All-Region honors with a .281 batting average, nine doubles, three triples, two homers, 26 RBIs, 26 walks, and 16 stolen bases. He has also thrown 24 2/3 innings on the mound with a 4.74 ERA across six appearances, mostly early in the year. He had a 10-game hitting streak and 17-game on-base streak earlier this season.