25 Jun 2025 Five Nighthawks receive All-Arkansas Collegiate Team honors

HOT SPRINGS — Five members of the National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk baseball team were named to Natural State Baseball’s 2025 All-Arkansas Collegiate Team for their remarkable contributions on the field this season. 

Sophomore infielder Quaterrion Walton (Atlanta, Georgia) was recognized as the All-Arkansas Team’s designated hitter. Walton batted a team-best .395 for NPC this season, while also leading the Nighthawks in doubles (15), triples (5), home runs (12), runs batted in (62), total bases (142), slugging percentage (.693) and stolen bases (43).

This season, Walton shattered NPC’s all-time triples (11) and stolen bases (61) records this year while helping lead the Nighthawks to their most single-season wins in program history (33) and a second-round finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 2 Tournament in Hot Springs. At the plate, Walton set NPC’s single-season records for hits (81) and runs scored (65) this season, while tying the Nighthawks’ single-game marks in hits (5), doubles (3) and home runs (3).

Walton’s postseason honors include being named to the NJCAA Division II All-Region 2 first team, Juco Baseball Blog’s 2025 NJCAA Division 2 All-American Second Team and receiving an NJCAA Gold Glove for his impressive .975 fielding percentage and 24 double plays.

Walton, who recently committed to NAIA National Champion LSU-Shreveport, closes the book on an impressive Nighthawk career ranked second all-time in runs scored (98), runs batted in (90), hits (118) and doubles (21), third all-time in games played (100), fourth all-time in home runs (17) and fifth all-time in walks (54). 

Sophomore utility player Ryan McClure (Double Oak, Texas), freshman reliever Jackson McDaniel (Conway), sophomore pitcher Bryan Raitz (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore infielder Josh Wacaser (Bentonville) each received an honorable mention to the 2025 All-Arkansas Collegiate Team.

The versatile McClure’s 64 hits, 62 runs scored and 28 stolen bases were a game changer for NPC this season. The sophomore ends his storied NPC career ranked third all-time in stolen bases (33), fourth all-time in triples (2) and batting average (.367), fifth all-time in hits (75), sixth all-time in runs scored (74) and ninth all-time in walks (42). 

In 18 appearances this season, McDaniel shined brightly for the Nighthawks out of the bullpen. The freshman notched four saves to accompany his perfect 4-0 record on the mound and an impressive 2.31 earned run average. McDaniel’s four saves is tied for third-most in program history, while his earned run average stands as second-best on NPC’s top 10 leaderboard.

An NJCAA All-Region 2 second team honoree, Raitz rewrote the record books for NPC this season, becoming the program’s all-time leader in wins (14) and strikeouts (128), while amassing a 9-4 record in 15 appearances with 80 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA.

Wacaser, another NJCAA All Region 2 second team honoree, batted .333 with 56 hits, 44 runs scored, nine home runs, and 51 runs batted in this season, while also drawing 34 walks. Wacaser ends his Nighthawk career ranked fifth all-time in doubles (16), sixth all-time in hits (73), walks (53) and runs batted in (64), seventh all-time in games played (82), eighth all-time in home runs (11) and ninth all-time in runs scored (56).

Following a program-best 33 win campaign, NPC recently concluded its season in the NJCAA Region 2 Tournament in Hot Springs.

Presented by Natural State Baseball, the All-Arkansas Collegiate Team recognizes the top collegiate teams, coaches and individual players throughout the year in Arkansas, regardless of classification. Walton, McClure, McDaniel, Raitz and Wacaser join former Nighthawks Eli Hutcherson (Cabot), Tristen Jamison (Nashville), Demias Jimerson (Malvern) and Cameron Tyson (Cullen, Louisiana), who were previously selected as honorees to the team.

For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.