Big Week Earns Willard Conference Recognition

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Graduate student Owen Willard of the Forester baseball team has been named the Crossroads League Player of the Week, as announced by the league office earlier this afternoon.

Willard, a transfer from Purdue Fort Wayne and Eastside High School product, turned in a monster week to lead #RV Huntington to a series win over Mount Vernon Nazarene.

The veteran slugger hit a scorching .563 for the week, powering the Foresters' offense with four home runs, three doubles and 12 RBI. He also crossed the plate eight times and recorded eight hits over the final three games of the series - all Huntington victories.

Willard's production continues to place him among the program's elite. He is currently tied with teammate Keifer Wilson with 17 home runs on the season, a mark that leads the Crossroads League. The duo, along with Darren Tecklenburg (1989), are now part of a three-way tie for the most home runs in a single season in program history.

Behind Willard's leadership and offensive firepower, the Foresters closed out the regular season with a 37-10 overall record and a 27-9 mark in league play to secure a second-place finish in the Crossroads League standings.

Huntington will open postseason play Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at Spring Arbor in the Crossroads League Tournament. Their opponent is yet to be determined.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Huntington has a top quartile ranking in the 2026 U.S. News Best Regional Universities Midwest Rankings.