Trio All Collect Second-Team All-Heart Recognition
Oskaloosa–Three members of the William Penn baseball team received postseason recognition as the 2026 all-Heart of America Athletic Conference teams were announced Sunday.
Keoni Young (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science), McGwire Jephson (Jr., Rigby, Idaho, Business Management), and Aiden North (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology) all received second-team laurels.
The second squad included 17 individuals, as did the first team. A total of 22 players also garnered honorable mentions.
Young’s award is his second (honorable mention in 2025), while Jephson and North are both first-time honorees.
The trio helped the Statesmen to a 23-22 record in 2026, including a 12-12 mark in the Heart.
Young hit .372 (54-for-145) this spring with eight doubles and 10 home runs. He drove in 57 runs and scored 37 times, while producing a .634 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base mark (15 walks, 9 hit-by-pitches). He also stole one base.
The senior third baseman notched 18 multi-hit outings with a high of four base knocks against Culver-Stockton on April 24.
Jephson posted a .356 batting average (57-for-160) with 16 doubles and five home runs. The junior shortstop tallied 35 RBIs and 56 runs, while recording a .550 slugging percentage and a .467 on-base clip (27 walks, 8 hit-by-pitches). He also stole three bases.
Jephson’s finished the year with 15 multi-hit games, headlined by a pair of two four-hit performances.
North, a junior catch/designated hitter, tallied 59 hits in 153 at-bats for a .386 batting average. He managed 14 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 48 RBIs, and 13 runs scored, while owning a .549 slugging percentage and a .448 on-base percentage (16 walks, 3 hit-by-pitches).
North’s season-best four-hit showing versus Clarke on April 10 was one of his 17 multi-hit games.
Ryan Malzahn of Central Methodist was named Heart Player of the Year, while Camden Karlin of Baker earned the Pitcher of the Year accolade. Newcomer of the Year honors went to Ronnie Rowley of MidAmerica Nazarene, and the Freshman of the Year award was given to Ryan McDougal of Benedictine.
Eddie Uschold of Missouri Baptist and Jack Dahm of Mount Mercy shared the Coach of the Year laurel, while Beau Franklin of Baker claimed the nod for Assistant Coach of the Year.
