Claudio Garners NCCAA Baseball DI Central Region Player of the Year Honors, Weldon Named Coach of the Year

Greenville, SC --- The NCCAA has announced that Pioneers third baseman Delvis Claudio has earned the 2025 NCCAA Division I Baseball Player of the Year award after lifting the Pioneers to their first Sooner Athletic Conference Championship in program history.
 
Head Coach Todd Weldon earned the 2025 NCCAA DI Baseball Coach of the Year award, while Claudio, Felix Polanco, Samuel Fabian, and Juan Gil-Franco were all named NCCAA First Team All-Central Region.
 
All four NCCAA First Team All-Central Region recipients for the Pioneers also received First Team All-SAC honors this season.
 
Claudio has had a masterful season at the plate for the Pioneers in 2025. In 53 games played, Claudio owns a .388 batting average, 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .787 slugging percentage. Claudio was also named First Team All-SAC.
 
Weldon, who was also named the 2025 SAC Coach of the Year, guided the Pioneer to a 39-17 overall record and 22-5 in SAC play, helping them lift their first SAC Championship in program history.
 
Polanco, who received the 2025 SAC Baseball Player of the Year award, earned an NCCAA First Team All-Central Region nomination after hitting .434 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a.798 slugging percentage.
 
Fabian earned NCCAA First Team All-Central Region after hitting .371 with a team-high 23 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .874 slugging percentage. Fabian's 23 home runs places him T-4^th in the NAIA, while his 78 RBIs are also T-4^th in the NAIA.
 
Gil-Franco was the lone pitcher to receive NCCAA First Team All-Central Region honors. In 22 appearances (3 starts), Gil-Franco owns an 11-4 record with a 4.07 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Gil-Franco led the Sooner Athletic Conference in wins this season (11).
 
The Pioneers will head to Lewiston, Idaho for the 2025 NAIA Baseball Opening Rounds presented by Avista as a 2-seed. They will face the 3-seed Lewis-Clark State College on Monday, May 12^th at 4:30 PM CT.