Midwest Conference baseball coaches took notice of Monmouth juniors Austin Hardy (Basco, Ill./Warsaw) and Ryan Sparks (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon), voting the pair to the All-Midwest Conference team after campaigns that saw them produce eye-popping offensive numbers.

      Hardy, named as the lone utility player on the squad, received his second all-league honor after earning the status as a freshman. The junior jack-of-all-trades filled four positions for the Scots this spring, ranging from first and third base to pitcher and designated hitter. On the mound, Hardy set the program's single-season ERA record with a 1.48 mark, bettering the previous low of 1.58 set in 1991 by Monmouth College Hall of Famer Jake Libby. Offensively, Hardy was just as effective, leading the team with a .384 average and a .451 on-base percentage while driving in a team-high 32 runs. He also led the team with a .616 slugging percentage and was second with four home runs and 13 doubles. His 26 runs scored ranked third.

      A business and economics double major, he is the son of Todd and Jina Hardy.

      Sparks, a second baseman, followed in the footsteps of his predecessor at the keystone position – Ryan Crandall – to earn back-to-back all-conference status. The junior led the team with five home runs and 38 runs scored. Batting primarily out of the leadoff position, Sparks hit .377 with a .429 on-base percentage and a .603 slugging percentage – all second on the team. He also played in all 35 games for the Scots and saw action on the mound, where he logged a team-best three saves in six appearances.

      An environmental science major, he is the son of Andrew and Deborah Sparks.

      The Fighting Scots opened the season with a 7-3 mark and finished with an 8-2 run over their final 10 games, posting a 7-1 league record over the last half of the MWC season to place third in the conference's South Division in head coach Alan Betourne's inaugural campaign. The team's 18 wins were the most since 2007.