SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna baseball featured three River Hawks this spring that were recognized to the 2026 Academic All-District® Baseball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators. Shortstop
Michael Gagliardi was chosen for the second straight year, while designated hitter
Paul Daly and pitcher
Ben Gearhart were named for the first time. All three played their part this spring to help Susquehanna return to the Landmark Conference Tournament by earning the two seed with a 16-8 conference record and 26-16 overall.
To qualify for CSC Academic All-District®, student-athletes must carry a 3.50 cumulative GPA through two competitive seasons and have started or played in at least a majority of the games. Daly, Gagliardi and Gearhart's extraordinary efforts earned each of them consideration for the CSC Academic All-America® program.
After missing the Landmark Tournament by one game in 2025, the River Hawks reloaded and finished second in the Landmark regular season standings with a 16-8 conference record. They earned series sweeps over defending Landmark champion Catholic and Drew, while taking two out of three in key sets against Juniata, Elizabethtown, Moravian, and Scranton. The pitching staff was solidified and led by
Josh Domaracki and
Ben Gearhart, both of whom earned Landmark Pitcher of the Week this spring. Domaracki went a perfect 7-0 on the year with 11 starts to become one of just a handful of Susquehanna pitchers to amass at least seven victories, while striking out 69 batters, tied for fourth all-time. Gearhart finished 6-1 with nine starts, while leading the starting rotation with a 3.00 ERA and striking out 28 in 57.0 innings pitched.
At the plate the River Hawks excelled, combining for 401 hits and hitting the long ball 24 times.
Paul Daly and
Michael Gagliardi combined for 13 of them between the designated hitter Daly's seven and the shortstop Gagliardi's six. Gagliardi batted .341 for the season, starting all 42 games at short and racking up a team-leading 48 RBIs. He added ten doubles and two triples towards a .537 slugging percentage. Daly batted .275 with 33 hits over 36 games with 34 starts, while adding eight doubles and one triple for a .533 slugging percentage. The team's patience at the plate was rewarded with 198 walks, led by Gagliardi and
Michael Girardi, both with 28. This helped Gagliardi with his .431 on-base percentage and Girardi with his .449 as he batted .307 with 50 hits, while collecting ten doubles and three home runs for 31 RBIs in 41 games played and started. Girardi earned Landmark Player of the Week.
At the Landmark Conference Tournament the River Hawks opened their stay with a 12-5 win over Drew, completing the rare four-game sweep over the Rangers. The Landmark's year-end list featured eight River Hawks earning All-Landmark, while head coach Denny Bowers and his coaches received Coaching Staff of the Year. Susquehanna's regular-season finale saw them post a 17-7 win over first-place Wilkes as Bowers earned his 400th career victory through 21 seasons as head coach. Domaracki received First Team All-Landmark, while Gearhart and relief pitcher
Austin Ozarowski earned Second Team as the latter tallied five saves in 15 appearances, striking out 21 batters over 21.2 innings pitched with a 2-1 record. Daly, Gagliardi and senior outfielder Dylah Heyduk also earned Second Team, while catcher
CJ Orrego and first baseman
Andrew Haussman were Honorable Mentions. Domaracki, Gagliardi and Heyduk went on to receive All-Region V accords between ABCA/Rawlings and D3baseball.com.
It was the latest in a long line of awards for Susquehanna's Iron Man in Heyduk, who started all 42 games his senior year to give him a lifetime total of 160 starts in 164 games played. His 22 walks in 2026 put him tied for the program record with 108 career walks and becoming one of two players ever to amass the century mark in base on balls. His 135 runs scored is second all-time, 187 career hits fourth all-time, and his 558 career hits and 49 stolen bases ranking fifth. This spring Heyduk batted a team-leading .389 with 61 hits and one home run, while totaling seven doubles and one three-bagger for a .465 slug percentage. He added on 25 RBIs to his career total of 99, good for sixth all-time, while earning a .503 on-base percentage his senior season for a lifetime .479 average. He tabbed 33 career doubles with six triples and three homers.
2026 Academic All-District® Baseball Teams (NCAA, NAIA): PDF | doc
The 2026 Academic All-District® Baseball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
The CSC Academic All-District® teams include the student-athletes listed at the links above.
Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.
Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced later this summer.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.
