Kansas City, Mo. - Twelve members of the Central Methodist Baseball program earned Heart of America All-Conference honors, which were announced by the Heart office Thursday.
It marks the most All-Conference selections for the program in at least the last 16 years. Highlighting the selections for the Eagles was senior outfielder Bobby Nichols, who was named the Heart Co-Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection.
Head Coach Nate Breland took home Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in his career. Joining Nichols on the First Team were Tanner Sears, Carlos Negron, Clayton Burke, and Marcus Pritchard.
Joseph Weatherford, David Soriano, Foster Seitz, Jeremy Conforti, and Sebastian Escobar were named to the Second Team. Valentin Cerna Jr. and Zeb Wede both earned an Honorable Mention nod.
Nichols was named the Heart Player of the Year after leading the Eagles in at-bats (178), runs scored (62), hits (71), triples (3), stolen bases (25). The senior from Detroit, Michigan batted .399 with eight doubles and eight home runs.
He was named the Heart Player of the Week on Feb. 19 after hitting .727 in four games, which included going eight-for-11 from the plate with a home run and three RBI. He recently broke the program record for career steals against Benedictine College and currently sits at 115 for his career entering postseason play.
Nichols is now a three-time Heart All-Conference selection and is the fourth Eagle to earn Player of the Year honors in the last four seasons, joining Robbie Merced (2023 & 2022) and Sergia Macias (2021).
Breland earned Coach of the Year honors after leading the Eagles to their second-straight Heart of America Regular Season Conference Championship. Central enters postseason play with a 42-7 overall record and a 28-4 mark in the Heart.
Sears lands on the first team as a catcher after earning second-team honors in each of his first two seasons with the program. He finished the regular season batting .383 with 12 doubles and 14 home runs, with the latter two good enough to finish second on the team.
Sears was named the Heart Player of the Week on April 15 after batting .769 in Central's four-game series against Missouri Valley with four home runs, two doubles, and 10 RBI. He joins Nichols as a three-time Heart All-Conference selection.
Negron is the third Eagle to earn first-team honors after leading the program in numerous statistical categories including; doubles (18), home runs (18), RBI (65), walks (27), batting average (.433), OBP (.547), and slugging percentage (.927).
The junior outfielder has appeared in all 49 games for the Eagles, serving as a staple in the lineup and in the outfield. Additionally, he has been twice named the Heart of America Player of the Week.
Burke earned Heart First Team honors as a starting pitcher this year. Before that, he was named second team as a sophomore in 2023. The junior from Portland, Oregon finished the regular season with a 10-2 record through 12 starts and 73.2 innings of work.
He recorded a 2.69 earned run average and has struck out 72 batters so far this year. Burke has been recognized as a two-time Heart Pitcher of the Week, with one of those coming on the heels of a complete game shutout against Mount Mercy on March 22.
Pritchard rounds out the First Team All-Conference selections for the Eagles, as the senior was slotted in on the All-Conference team as a relief pitcher. Pritchard made 15 appearances for the Eagles during the regular season, including a senior day start in the finale against Culver-Stockton College.
The native of Winter Haven, Florida threw 28.1 innings and tallied a 2.86 earned run average. He recorded a 5-1 record and picked up two saves while striking out 28 total batters. His best performance came against CS-C, where through 6.2 innings, he allowed just one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out eight.
Weatherford earned second-team honors for his play at first base this season. He finished the regular season batting .305 with 10 doubles and nine home runs. In addition, Weatherford drove in 40 RBI and scored 32 runs. He is now a two-time Heart All-Conference selection.
Soriano joins Weatherford on the second team as a shortstop. The newcomer has played in 43 games for the Eagles in the infield, batting .346 with five home runs and three doubles. He has also scored 26 runs during the regular season.
Conforti earned second-team honors for the second straight season as a designated hitter. The junior finished the 2024 regular season with a .324 batting average, including 13 doubles and nine home runs. He also drove in 33 runs and drew 11 walks.
Seitz is the fourth Eagle to earn second-team honors, earning a spot on the team as a starting pitcher. He appeared in 13 games with 13 starts on the bump, tallying an 8-1 record with three complete games. Seitz threw 72 total innings and struck out 54 batters.
Escobar is now a three-time Heart All-Conference Second Team selection as a starting pitcher. Through 13 starts, Escobar racked up an 8-1 record through 73 complete innings of work. He has tallied a 2.96 earned run average and struck out 84 batters during the regular season.
Valentin Cerna Jr. is one of two Honorable Mention selections for the Eagles, playing 48 of Central's 49 games in the infield. He finished the regular season batting .377 with nine doubles and four home runs. Cerna Jr. crossed the plate 54 times and drove in 34 runners. He also swiped eight bases.
Wede rounds out the Heart All-Conference selections for CMU, as the sophomore outfielder joins Cerna Jr. with an Honorable Mention nod. He has appeared in all 49 of the Eagles' games during the regular season, primarily in left field. The native of Harrisburg, South Dakota, is currently batting .386 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, and a triple.
Central has earned the No. 1 seed in the Heart of America Conference Tournament and will face the winner of No. 4 Park/No. 5 Baker on Friday, May 3 at 8:30 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri.
To view the conference release on the 2024 Heart All-Conference Baseball teams, please click here.
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