Ard, Opata Named To D2CCA Southeast All-Region Teams
DAHLONEGA – The No. 22 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team had two players named to the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Southeast All-Region Teams per the association's announcement Friday.
Junior center fielder Andrews Opata was named to the D2CCA Southeast All-Region First Team while redshirt junior Phillip Ard earned a spot on the All-Region Second Team.
Opata earned the second All-Region acclaim this season with Friday's announcement after having earned the same All-Region First Team selection from the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Saturday. The 2025 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team selection has been a bona fide star this season for the Nighthawks.
Opata finished the regular season ranked fifth nationally in runs and hits. He ended the year also ranked ninth in stolen bases with 42 swipes on the year, which ranks as the second-most in a single season in program history. His 62 RBIs also ranked among the top 65 hitters nationally.
A hitting machine with a regular-season batting average of .380, Opata led the team with 31 multi-hit games this year. He also had 15 multi-RBI games which ranked second on the team behind his fellow all-region selection.
Ard led the team and ranked second in the country with a staggering 98 RBIs this season, shattering the program single-season record of 78 set by Richie Daigle back in 2005. The first baseman had multiple RBIs in 23 games this season. He never went more than three games without batting a runner in.
The PBC All-Conference Second Team and All-Tournament Team selection also ranked fourth in the country with 24 home runs this season. In an elimination game against No. 14 Belmont Abbey in the 2025 Southeast Regional on Saturday, Ard belted a fourth-inning home run to break the program record for most homers in a single season. His 1.72 RBIs per game average ranked second in the country as well.
Ard and Opata have now both earned NCBWA and D2CCA all-region acclaim this season.
Latest Men's Baseball Stories Feed
- Six UNG Baseball Players Named To 2025 PBC Team of Academic DistinctionDAHLONEGA – The Peach Belt Conference announced its baseball Team of Academic Distinction for the 2024-25 academic year Friday. The University of North Georgia had six student-athletes named to the team.
- Nolan Belcher Named UNG Head Baseball CoachDAHLONEGA - The University of North Georgia (UNG) has announced Nolan Belcher as the next head baseball coach, ushering in a new chapter in a proud tradition that spans generations. While Belcher becomes just the second head coach since the reinstatement of baseball on campus, he now leads a program whose legacy began at North Georgia College and continues today at the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II levels. Following a national search, Belcher has signed a multi-year contract to lead the Nighthawks into a new era of excellence.
- Opata, Ard & Earnhardt Named To ABCA All-Region TeamsDAHLONEGA – University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball junior center fielder Andrews Opata, redshirt junior first baseman Phillip Ard and sophomore starting pitcher Luke Earnhardt were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Southeast All-Region Teams Wednesday morning.
- Opata Named D2CCA Third Team All-AmericanDAHLONEGA – University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball junior center fielder Andrews Opata was named a Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Third Team All-American per the association's announcement Wednesday morning.
- No. 22 UNG's Historic Season Comes To Halt In 2025 NCAA Southeast RegionalBELMONT, N.C. – All good things must come to an end.
- Ard, Opata Named To NCBWA Southeast All-Region TeamsDAHLONEGA – The No. 22 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team had two players named to the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Southeast All-Region Team per the association's announcement Friday.