Lead-off Award Winners

Ryan Deveraux (Hocking) and Abe Delano (Owens) put the recent snow conditions of Ohio behind them and started off their 2026 baseball seasons on a hot streak. Both student-athletes were unanimous selections for the OCCAC Position Player and Pitcher of the Week awards, respectively.

Deveraux and the Hocking Hawks opened ’26 in dramatic fashion, stringing together three consecutive 1-run wins to complete a 4-game sweep over Marian University Ancilla. Deveraux was the most clutch of all, delivering a game-tying 2-run homerun late in Game 2 and then the game-winning RBI double in extra innings of Game 3. He both scored and drove in at least one run in all four contests while going 6-for-13 with two doubles, two homeruns and eight RBI.

Delano completed 5.2 innings of a 6-inning shutout victory for Owens in Game 2 versus the University of South Carolina Salkehetchie. The freshman made an impressive collegiate debut, striking out 11 batters with just four hits and two walks.