Western Wayne Today

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its 2024 baseball postseason awards, recognizing several players from Wayne State University. Karter Fitzpatrick and Drew Hill were among those honored with major awards.

Karter Fitzpatrick was named Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. He was also included in the First Team along with teammates Kyle Ray, CJ Maury, and Bennett Hitzelberger. Drew Hill received Freshman Player of the Year honors and was named to the Second Team alongside Griffin Kilander. Mason McGuire and Ashton Potts earned Honorable Mention distinctions.

Fitzpatrick's performance this season included a seven-inning perfect game in his final regular-season start. He led the conference in several pitching categories including innings pitched, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP. His achievements make him only the second back-to-back winner of this award since 2018.

Drew Hill is Wayne State's second consecutive GLIAC Freshman Player of the Year following Tony Hatzigeorgiou in 2023. This season, Hill ranked second among GLIAC freshmen in batting average at .329 and led his team with multiple multi-hit games.

Kyle Ray had a standout season with a .351 batting average, leading his team and ranking eighth in the GLIAC. His performance earned him his first GLIAC Player of the Week accolade on April 8.

CJ Maury demonstrated consistency by starting all 103 games over two seasons at shortstop for Wayne State. This year he hit .295 while leading his team in stolen bases for his career.

Bennett Hitzelberger's promising season was cut short due to injury but he still managed impressive statistics before going down.

Griffin Kilander improved upon last year's Honorable Mention by becoming Wayne State's No. 2 starter this year, highlighted by a shutout against Purdue Northwest that earned him multiple weekly honors.

Mason McGuire showcased versatility by starting all games across five different positions while maintaining a solid batting average of .319.

Ashton Potts had an impressive ERA of 3.60 overall and excelled during conference play with a mark of 3.28, earning him recognition as well as a weekly honor after an outstanding performance against Minnesota Duluth.

These accolades reflect another successful year for Wayne State University baseball within their conference competition.