Campus News

May 12th, 2026

GC’s Broadwater: Region 20 Player of the Month

Sophomore shortstop hit .431 as Lakers reached baseball playoffs

Garrett College sophomore shortstop Noah Broadwater was named NJCAA Division II Region 20 Player of the Month for April after hitting .431 to help the Lakers reach the region baseball playoffs.

Broadwater slugged .759 as the Lakers went 13-7 last month. He currently leads NJCAA Division II Region 20 in batting average (.471) and runs batted in (78) and is tied for ninth in home runs (11).

"I was kind of shocked – but pretty excited about it," said Broadwater about being named Player of the Month. "I couldn’t do it without the team. Good team chemistry helps you play better."

Broadwater’s Lakers (31-16) are headed to the NJCAA Division II Region 20 Final Four after outlasting Montgomery College, 12-11, in Saturday’s single-elimination play-in. Broadwater was at the plate when Montgomery pitcher Garrett Campbell unleashed a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth that allowed Parker Ferraro to score the winning run.

"Noah’s been incredibly consistent through the course of the year both offensively and defensively," said GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck. "He’s a silent leader who just goes about his business."

Broadwater is also part of a sophomore class that’s won a college-record 67 games over the past two seasons.

"That’s a special group of players," said Hallenbeck, who won his 500th game at Garrett College earlier this season. "They’ve accomplished a lot here – and hopefully they’ll accomplish a little bit more before they’re finished."

Broadwater is hitting .384 with 17 homers and 143 RBI – and counting – in his two seasons at Garrett College. He has 56 extra-base hits, including 17 homers, and has scored 115 runs.

Broadwater has built on an outstanding freshman season (.317 average, 65 RBI, 60 runs scored) to improve in nearly every statistical category as a sophomore.

"I think it’s just maturing as a baseball player and learning how the game’s supposed to be played," said Broadwater of his improvement as a sophomore, adding, "Being more confident in yourself also elevates your game."

Hallenbeck said one key to Broadwater’s success is that he hasn’t tried to do too much.

"He’s got freshmen around him in the batting order and sometimes guys [opposing pitchers] pitch around him to get to the freshmen," said Hallenbeck. "Noah just takes what the pitcher gives him. If he doesn’t get a pitch to hit, he takes his walks and passes the baton on to those behind him."

Fourth-seeded GC plays first-seeded host Frederick Community College (33-13) Thursday at 3 p.m. in the second of two winners-bracket semifinals in the NJCAA Division II Region 20 Final Four. Second-seeded CCBC-Essex (36-13) and seventh-seeded Allegany College of Maryland (28-26) are the other two Region 20 baseball teams still alive in the Division II playoffs.

Garrett was 5-3 in the regular season against the other three remaining Region 20 competitors.

Broadwater – who starred at Keyser (WV) High while playing right down the street from Potomac State College, said he "always knew I wanted to come to Garrett."

"I really liked the coaches here and the atmosphere is great," said Broadwater, who is scheduled to receive his Associate of Arts degree in Sport Management on Saturday.

Unless, of course, he and the Lakers are playing in the Region 20 title game.

"I’m excited about it," Broadwater said of the Lakers contending for a championship. "I really believe we can win the region and even go a good ways in the World Series. We have good team chemistry and we’re playing well right now."