- Posted in All University
- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. - Three Lincoln University baseball players have earned postseason honors from Black College Nines, a baseball news website dedicated to preserving the legacy of Historically Black College and University baseball.
"Despite not having a fall, our players came out and gave everything they had since the middle of January and competed until the very last out," said Lincoln University baseball coach Anthony Pla. "The players that were named on the Black College Nines list all had great years. Hilman came in as a transfer and swung the bat very well in a new conference giving him a chance to get on this list. Willie Hines (Bowie, Md./Bowie) had a phenomenal year at shortstop for us and led us offensively from the leadoff spot all year. He did a great job with his glove as well keeping us in many ball games. Elias came out this year and had a breakout year leading out team in doubles and homeruns and even becoming the first ever 1st Team selection in our conference in the outfield.
"I am proud of all of these players and their accomplishments," Pla continued. "This is a well deserving honor and I appreciate Black College Nines for honoring our players and the rest of the deserving student-athletes on this list."
Freshman Hilman Truss (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) earned first-team honors, while redshirt sophomore Willie Hines (Bowie, Md./Bowie) (Bowie, Md./Bowie) and senior Elias Beltre (New York, N.Y./LAM International School) (New York, N.Y./LAM International School) earned second-team honors.
Truss joins Kashif Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) as the only other LU baseball player to earn first-team postseason accolades from BCN, while Hines and Beltre are the first Lincoln players to pick up second-team laurels.
A transfer from Delaware State, Truss led the team with 24 RBI and slashed .342/.426/.494 for the season. The third baseman finished with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He was a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen bases.
Hines, who will graduate and conclude his baseball career, was the linchpin for the Lions. He slashed .319/.429/.495 this season with eight doubles, one triple, two homers, and 20 RBI. He was 15-of-17 in stolen bases.
Beltre, a first-team All-ECC selection, was second in the conference with a .662 slugging percentage, thanks in part to a league-leading 12 doubles. Beltre was also fourth in the conference with four home runs.
He started in 22 games with a slash line of .363/.457/.663 with 15 RBI. He registered at least one hit in 17 of the team's 22 games, seven games with multiple knocks. He had two games with four hits, including going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two doubles, and a homer against nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas.
