Two Mastodons Named to All-Horizon League Squads
5/23/2023 3:01:00 PM | Baseball
INDIANAPOLIS – A pair of Purdue Fort Wayne baseball student-athletes have been named to the 2023 All-Horizon League teams. Braedon Blackford (Peoria, Ill. / Peoria Notre Dame / Illinois State) was named to the First Team and Ben Higgins (Macomb, Ill. / Macomb HS / Carl Sandburg CC) was selected to the Second Team.
Blackford earns the All-Horizon League First Team nod at first base thanks to 43 starts at the position this season. Blackford is tied for second in the league in doubles (17). He ranks fourth in the league in slugging (.597), home runs (14), RBIs (61) and hits (65). He is fifth in OPS (.994) and seventh in runs (46). He has a team-best 21 multi-hit games. He is the first Mastodon to earn a first team all-league nod since 2016. This is Blackford's first career league honor.
Higgins earns a spot on the second team outfield after 44 starts in left field this season. Higgins has been at his best in league play, ranking second in slugging percentage (.743), third in OPS (1.155) and third in home runs (10) in Horizon League games. He is tied for the league lead with 12 doubles in league play. He hit three home runs in a game at Youngstown State this season to earn a Horizon League Hitter of the Week honor. This is Higgins' first career league honor.
The Mastodons open the 2023 Horizon League Championships on Wednesday (May 24) against Northern Kentucky at 4 p.m.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Blackford earns the All-Horizon League First Team nod at first base thanks to 43 starts at the position this season. Blackford is tied for second in the league in doubles (17). He ranks fourth in the league in slugging (.597), home runs (14), RBIs (61) and hits (65). He is fifth in OPS (.994) and seventh in runs (46). He has a team-best 21 multi-hit games. He is the first Mastodon to earn a first team all-league nod since 2016. This is Blackford's first career league honor.
Higgins earns a spot on the second team outfield after 44 starts in left field this season. Higgins has been at his best in league play, ranking second in slugging percentage (.743), third in OPS (1.155) and third in home runs (10) in Horizon League games. He is tied for the league lead with 12 doubles in league play. He hit three home runs in a game at Youngstown State this season to earn a Horizon League Hitter of the Week honor. This is Higgins' first career league honor.
The Mastodons open the 2023 Horizon League Championships on Wednesday (May 24) against Northern Kentucky at 4 p.m.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
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