Four Rangers chosen for All-MACCC baseball honors

Jacob Hill selected for first team accolades

Credit: Northwest CC Sports Information

Following a 37-win season and an appearance in the NJCAA Region 23 Playoffs, the Northwest baseball team saw four of its departing sophomores selected for all-conference honors, the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) announced on Monday morning.

Shortsop Jacob Hill was selected for First Team All-MACCC honors, while center fielder Cade Greer was chosen for Second Team All-MACCC accolades. Catcher Matthew Roncalli and right fielder Peyton Martin both received Honorable Mention All-MACCC recognition.

Hill’s two-year stint with the Rangers was one to remember, as the Byhalia native left Northwest as the program’s all-time stolen bases leader. Hill stole 62 career bases, surpassing the previous mark of 55 set by James Lear (2013-14) and David Herrington (2016-17), with 41 of those stolen bases coming this season, just shy of the single-season record of 46 set by Dalton Dulin (2015).

Additionally, Hill also finished second in runs scored (101), second in career triples (7), third in career at-bats (352), fifth in career hits (125), fifth in double plays turned (40) and tied for sixth in games played (96), with Chad Wardlaw, David Herrington and teammate Greer. For the 2024 season, Hill batted .359 with eight doubles, three triples, three home runs and 21 RBIs.

Greer concluded his stellar sophomore season as the Rangers’ leading batter, finishing with a .415 batting average, 17 doubles, a triple, a home run and 37 RBIs. The Olive Branch native and Memphis commit tied for most doubles in a single season, joining six other former Rangers for the same total. He also finished third for most runs scored, earning 63 and finishing just two behind the current record-holder, Charlie Edwards. Greer also finished tied for third in on-base percentage (.531), tied for seventh in most games played (52) and tied for 10th in walks (34).

For his career, Greer finished tied for the highest career fielding percentage at 1.000, joining Wardlaw and Martin as the only three Northwest players to finish with a perfect fielding percentage in their career, with a minimum of 140 chances. He also ranks fourth in career sacrifice flies (11) with Gary-Scott Gabbert, tied for sixth in career doubles (26), tied for sixth in career hit-by-pitches (17), sixth in career on-base percentage (.486), eighth in career batting average (.380) and 10th in career base hits (115).

Roncalli served as the Rangers’ primary catcher over the past two seasons, leaving Northwest with an impactful career as well. This season, the Saltillo native hit .338 with four doubles, a triple and 19 RBIs, while also catching 14 runners on stolen base attempts. For his career, Roncalli is tied for most runners caught stealing (22), joining Matt Smith for the top spot, and is also ninth for most putouts (388), just one spot behind Hayes Davis, who ranks eighth with 437 career putouts.

Martin batted .325 for the season with 12 doubles, three triples and finished tied for the team’s most home runs, joining Davis and James Smith with six apiece. The Madison native also finished tied for fourth in single-season stolen bases, joining Caleb Hobson with 33. His seven sacrifice flies are also tied for fifth in a single season, while Levi Lang’s 35 walks are tied for sixth in a single season, joining Tom Carroll, Clay Casey and Ryan Lee.

For his career, Martin finishes with a 1.000 fielding percentage and tied for third in career triples (6), joining Clint Sewell, Dex Herrington and Jamell Newson. He also finishes his Ranger career tied for eighth in stolen bases (44) and tied for ninth in career sacrifice flies (9).