HICKORY, N.C. — Catawba Valley Community College second baseman Chandler Blackwelder, catcher Will Samuelson and first baseman James Hinson were named All-Americans by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) on Wednesday, capping off a record-setting season for the Red Hawk baseball program.

This is the first time in Red Hawk baseball program history that there have been multiple All-Americans in one school year and only the second time in CVCC Athletics history that there have been four or more All-Americans named in one school year.

"What an unbelievable accomplishment for these three young men," said CVCC head baseball coach Paul Rozzelle. "Our program has become used to having a CVCC baseball player named to an All-American team each year, but to have three CVCC baseball players on one All-American team is just overwhelming. It's a credit to the individual player and their accomplishments for the time, the effort, the work and the production that they achieved."

The Region 10 Player of the Year, Blackwelder capped off his sophomore season by receiving first team All-American honors as an infielder.

Blackwelder ranked in the top 20 nationally in multiple offensive categories, including his 83 hits (5th), 20 doubles (6th), a .856 slugging percentage (6th), 73 runs scored (7th), 16 home runs (10th), five triples (14th) and 65 RBI (16th).

Hinson, Blackwelder and Samuelson all finished the season with a .441 batting average, which ranked 16th nationally.

"All-American was a goal of mine from the beginning of the season, and to perform well enough to be grouped with the best junior college players in the nation is something that means a whole lot to me," Blackwelder said. "It is an honor, and I am very grateful to be grouped with players of such high caliber. I can't thank everyone enough for this recognition along with everyone who supported me and helped me achieve this goal. I think it's really special for my teammates and I to be recognized together and make a new standard for the Catawba Valley baseball program. It's something we can enjoy together and having more pride to be Red Hawks."

Samuelson earned second team All-American honors for the NJCAA as a catcher. He finished the spring leading CVCC in slugging percentage (1.015) and his way to earning All-Region first team honors.

The Charlotte, N.C. native blasted 10 home runs — tied for the second-most for the Red Hawks — and he drove in 35 RBI.

Also a stout presence behind the plate, Samuelson recorded a .987 fielding percentage in 151 total chances.

"I'm truly blessed, and I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coaches pushing me to be the best player I can be," Samuelson said. "It means a lot to be honored with Chandler and James. Seeing what they were doing at the plate and in the field made me want to work harder."

Named a third team All-American as an infielder, Hinson finished second nationally with 26 doubles, and he also broke the school record for doubles set by Craig Zalewa in 2016.

Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment for the first baseman from Sylva, N.C. this season was reaching base safely in 28-straight games and recording a 26-game hitting streak, which is the second-longest streak in program history.

He also reached base safely in 48 of the 51 games he played in for the Red Hawks this season.

"I am truly blessed to receive this award," Hinson said. "I want to thank the man upstairs for giving me the ability to play this great game. I also want to thank my coaches and teammates for always pushing me to be a better player. I hold myself to a high standard and set the bar high. Receiving this award with Chandler and Will is truly awesome. These two guys are obviously studs on the field, but they are also great teammates and even better people off the field."

Behind the play of Blackwelder, Samuelson and Hinson, the Red Hawks finished their 2021 spring baseball season with a 41-13 overall record and 24-2 mark in Region 10 play. The CVCC baseball program also set numerous team and individual records this season, including best winning percentage (.759), runs scores (551), RBI (476), home runs (68) and doubles (140).

"Sometimes players put in the work and don't always see the fruits of their labor, but in the case of these three young men they did," Rozzelle said. "I am happy that I got to be a small part of their journey and watch them grow as people and baseball players. I'm excited to watch their future. It was an honor to have all three of them in our program."

Blackwelder, Samuelson and Hinson join CVCC volleyball player Aasia McNeill as All-Americans in 2020-21. This is only the second time in the history of the Catawba Valley Community College athletic department that there have been four or more All-Americans in one school year.