MIAC RELEASE
ARDEN HILLS, MINN.—The Bethel University Royals landed six on the 2026 MIAC Baseball All-Conference Team, highlighted by 2026 MIAC Max Mollock Player of the Year, junior Seth Nelson. Junior catcher Chris Lavin, sophomore outfielder Hayden Sperbeck, designated hitter Tyler Allshouse, and pitcher Drew Girtz round out the Royals on the MIAC Baseball All-Conference Team.
2026 MIAC BASEBALL AWARDS
Max Mollock Player of the Year: Seth Nelson (Bethel)
Mike Augustin Pitcher of the Year: Max Edwards (Saint John's)
Rookie of the Year: Max Edwards (Saint John's)
Jim Dimick Coach of the Year: Matt Parrington (Macalester)
SETH NELSON
Nelson is the third Royal in program history to land MIAC Player of the Year, and the first since Matt Rowley in 2012.
Among 20 MIAC contests, Nelson finished with a .444 (28-of-63) batting average, 26 runs scored, nine doubles, four home runs, 23 RBI, 12 walks, 13 hit by pitches, a .778 slugging percentage, and a .596 on-base percentage.
Over 38 games played, the Mahtomedi, Minnesota native accumulated a .365 (46-of-126) batting average, 45 runs scored, 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 44 RBI, a .714 slugging percentage, 26 walks, 17 hit by pitches, and a .520 on-base percentage.Â
Nelson crushed two home runs on a pair of occasions; a 13-7 win over Mass Dartmouth on March 18, and a 22-15 victory over UW-River Falls on March 25. Those were among the 15 multi-hit games Nelson finished with in 2026. In six of those contests, Nelson finished with three hits.Â
Defensively, Seth finished with a team-leading 123 chances at shortstop (other than the first baseman and catcher) and 78 assists from shortstop, where he committed just four errors en route to a .967 fielding percentage.
CHRIS LAVIN
Lavin's MIAC slate consisted of a .327 (17-of-52) batting average, two home runs, a .500 slugging percentage, 17 RBI, 12 walks, and three hit by pitches over 19 conference games. The Chandler, Arizona native played in 35Â games overall, where he accumulated a .281 (25-of-89) batting average, two doubles, four home runs, a .461 slugging percentage, 20 walks, five hit by pitches, and a .431 on-base percentage.
Lavin had four multi-hit games on the season. This included a 3-for-3 performance with one grand slam, and six RBI in a 14-3 win over St. Scholastica on April 21.Â
Lavin was named April 27 MIAC Baseball Player of the Week.
HAYDEN SPERBECK
Across 20 MIAC games played, Sperbeck finished with a .429 (33-of-77) batting average, 25 runs scored, nine doubles, three home runs, 20 RBI, a .688 slugging percentage, 12 walks, five hit by pitches, and a .528 on-base percentage. Sperbeck's overall stat line consisted of a team-leading .400 (60-of-150) batting average as well as 13 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 37 RBI, a .613 slugging percentage, 22 walks, eight hit by pitches, and a .492 on-base percentage.
The Arden Hills, Minnesota native finished with 18 multi-hit games, which included a 5-for-5 performance that consisted of three runs scored, three RBI, and one double in an 18-4 (7 innings) win over Macalester on April 8.
TYLER ALLSHOUSE
Among 14 MIAC games played, Allshouse had a .426 (20-of-47) batting average, 15 runs scored, 15 RBI, seven walks, and a .491 on-base percentage. The Hugo, Minnesota native played in 26 games overall, and finished with a .390 (32-of-82) batting average, 25 runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, 20 RBI, a .512 slugging percentage, 13 walks, and a .464 on-base percentage.
Allshouse finished the season with 11 multi-hit games. He closed the season with an eight-game hit streak, five of those games were multi-hit performances.
JACKSON HUNTER
Hunter made five starts and eight appearances on the pitching rubber in conference games, where he had a 4.25 ERA, a 5-0 win loss record, two saves, 24 strikeouts, 41 hits, and a .295 opponent batting average across 36.0 innings of work.
Hunter made 13 appearances and 10 starts overall. The Minnetonka, Minnesota native accumulated a 6-3 win loss record, 61.2 innings pitched, two saves, 80 hits, 47 strikeouts, and a .319 opponent batting average.
Hunter was named March 9 MIAC Pitcher of the Week.
DREW GIRTZ
The Ramsey, Minnesota was a stellar two-way player for the Royals in 2026. Over 11 pitching appearances, Girtz notched 60 strikeouts over 43.0 innings pitched, where he also accumulated a .238 opponent batting average, 38 hits, and one save. He had eight strikeouts and allowed just five hits in a 2-0 win over St. Olaf on April 25.
As Bethel's leadoff hitter as a centerfielder, Girtz finished with a .357 (56-of-157) batting average, 16 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 23 RBI, a .522 slugging percentage, and a .456 on-base percentage. Girtz finished the season with 17 multi-hit games, which included a 5-for-5 performance, one double, one triple, and three runs scored in a 13-4 win over Northwestern on March 24.Â
In addition, sophomore Chris Cannon, and pitcher Mark Anderson were each named 2026 MIAC Baseball Honorable Mention. Junior third baseman Ben Trucke and senior outfielder Drew Girtz were each named to the 2026 MIAC Baseball All-Playoff Team.
The Royals finished the 2026 season with a 29-10 record.
