CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Garrett College’s Brandyn Gonzalez and Allegany College’s Nick Falla were named to NJCAA Division II baseball All-American teams last week.
Gonzalez earned first-team honors, becoming the third Laker in program history to do so and the first since Ryan Krumlauf in 2010.
“Honestly, it’s crazy, I didn’t really think about it,” Gonzalez said in a press release. “I was just having fun, enjoying playing.”
Gonzalez broke Kent Freeman’s program record with 20 home runs this season, surpassing Freeman’s 15 from 1986.
Gonzalez’s 20 long balls tied for fifth in NJCAA Division II with South Arkansas’ Ty Simonelli and Enterprise State’s Jabe Boroff.
He tied for third nationally in RBIs (80) with Ellsworth’s Boston Doeschot and tied for sixth with 37 extra-base hits.
“At the beginning of the year, during our first student-athlete meeting, I tell all of the student-athletes that if they want to get recognized with post-season honors, they have to play above and beyond anyone else,” Garrett head coach Eric Hallenbeck said.
“Up here on the mountain, a lot of times we get overlooked. The year that Brandyn had, he made sure he was not overlooked. He was not only the best in Region 20, but one of the best in the country.”
Gonzalez won the Region 20 triple crown, leading the conference in home runs (20), RBIs (80), batting average (.431) and slugging percentage (.879).
He finished top five in Region 20 in runs (66), hits (75), doubles (16) and on-base percentage (.521).
“It might be a while before we see a season like this,” Hallenbeck said. “Brandyn was named first team All-Region, team MVP, Male Athlete of the Year at Garrett College, Steve Bazarnic Silver Slugger Award, set the single season home run record at Garrett and First Team All-American.”
Gonzalez verbally committed last week to Georgia Gwinnett College of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), but also has interest from several Division I colleges including West Virginia, Kansas State and Missouri along with some smaller Division I and Division II programs.
Georgia Gwinnett reached the semifinals of the NAIA World Series with a 56-7 record, earning four All-American selections.
Two weeks ago, Gonzalez attended a pre-draft workout with the Kansas City Royals ahead of this year’s MLB Draft which begins on July 13.
“Whoever lands Gonzalez, they are going to get a tremendous talent, but more importantly a tremendous person,” Hallenbeck said. “Putting these video game numbers up and the way some coaches allow their players to act, you would think he would be pompous and arrogant. He is humble as the day is long, very coachable and a great teammate.”
Falla was named a third-team All-American, Allegany’s first since Noah Williamson earned first-team honors in 2022.
Falla spent most of the season in the top five nationally in ERA, finishing with a 1.33 earned run average.
Among NJCAA Division II pitchers with at least 80 innings, he led the nation in ERA.
“I am most definitely surprised that Nick was not selected to the first team,” Allegany head coach Mason Heyne said. “He lead our region in most every pitching category and was Top 5 in ERA, in the country, most of the season.
“Those who were selected were most definitely deserving, but I think Nick earned and showed he was no doubt first-team worthy.”
Across 81 1/3 innings, he allowed 12 earned runs off 39 hits and 25 walks while striking out 111.
His only home run allowed was against Gonzalez on April 23.
Falla joins Williamson as recent All-Americans for the Trojans after Williamson’s 2022 campaign where he posted a 1.66 ERA across 146 innings.
Williamson went on to play at Ohio State and Wright State.
“Nick was very similar to Noah,” Heyne said. “Both extremely durable and both knew what it took weekly to get the most performance out of themselves. There is no doubt they are two of the best pitchers to come out of here and the region over the last few years.”
Falla has received interest from several Division I programs including Towson, UMBC, Lipscomb, Lasalle and St. Bonaventure, among others.
He’s currently playing in the Appalachian League, one of the nation’s top collegiate summer leagues with players from across all levels of college baseball.
Falla’s pitched six innings across two games so far, allowing six hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He hasn’t allowed an earned run but has five unearned runs.
This year marked the first season two area players earned All-American honors since 2011.
Allegany’s Jon Kemmer was a first-team outfielder and designated hitter, Kasey Clinton earned third-team honors while Potomac State’s Kurtis Voytell was an honorable mention selection as an infielder.
“It was great to see our region was very well represented this year,” Hallenbeck said. “Region 20, DI and DII had a combined six All-Americans this year. In my 21 years at Garrett, I can’t remember that ever happening.”
“Having two All-Americans come out of this area is awesome,” Heyne said. “It just shows that you can go anywhere in the country and if you perform at a high level, people will notice. Also I think that it shows how strong Region 20 is becoming. It’s a really good look for our area and Region 20 to have as many All-Americans as it did.”