Westmont’s Harmening earns NAIA honor

Sophomore pitcher Russell Harmening received NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors for his performance this year on the mound.

Harmening posted a record of 12-3 during the 2014 campaign with an ERA of 2.47. In 113 innings, he struck out 95 batters and walked just 23. His 12 wins on season ties for fourth in the NAIA this year, with three pitchers achieving 13 wins.

Harmening was also named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America baseball second team for his performance both on the diamond and in the classroom. The prestigious and competitive award, which is given to just 22 athletes in the college division, is administered by College Sports Information of America (CoSIDA). Harmening holds a 3.69 GPA while majoring in mathematics.

The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table also honored Harmening, naming him the Baseball Collegiate Athlete of the Year.

Honored for their academic achievements were Eric Bateman  and Taylor Martin. The two were named both NAIA and Golden State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes. Bateman is a senior history major with a 3.73 GPA. Martin sports a 3.79 GPA as a junior computer science major.

Senior captain Brandon Gildea of Stockton was honored as the Champions of Character representative at the NAIA Opening Round Tournament last month.

As a team, the Warriors finished the season 39-19, establishing a new record for the most wins in program history.