December 18, 2015

Baker finishes eighth in Harlon Hill Trophy balloting

FLORENCE, Ala. - Carson-Newman football running back Damian Baker (Columbus, Miss.) finished eighth in this year's Harlon Hill trophy balloting as Ferris State quarterback Jason Vander Laan took home the trophy for the second straight year.

FLORENCE, Ala. - Carson-Newman football running back Damian Baker (Columbus, Miss.) finished eighth in this year's Harlon Hill trophy balloting for the best player in Division II as Ferris State quarterback Jason Vander Laan took home the trophy for the second straight year.

Baker, became the fourth Carson-Newman player to make it the award's final round, and the second in as many years. Running back Andy Hibbett made the finals last season before finishing seventh in the voting. Quarterback Leonard Guyton was a finalist in 2002, while running back Tyrone Westmoreland was the first Harlon Hill finalist for C-N in 1997. Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph is the only South Atlantic Conference player to win the award – doing so in 2011.

Baker previously earned first team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and second team honors from the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association.

Baker became the first Eagle to earn an All-America honor from the AFCA since center Kevin Day was on his way to a Rimmington Trophy and consensus All-America honors following the Eagles' trip to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2012.

The senior becomes Carson-Newman's 117^th All-America honoree all-time.

Baker is the third Eagle running back to earn All-America honors in the last four years, joining Brandon Baker (no relation) and Andy Hibbett.

"He is one of the great success stories at Carson-Newman from a personal perspective," head coach Ken Sparks said. "He struggled at times with adjusting to things that he knew were right but struggled to do right, little things, not big things. To see him take advantage of those opportunities is a great rejoicing on my part. When he first got here I felt like I was going to have to spank him. Now all I want to do is hug him for the steps he's made and what he's become."

Damian Baker finished the regular season ranked in the top 25 in the nation in five rushing categories and as the SAC Offensive Player of the Year and a first team all-SAC selection. He closed out the regular season slate with 1,403 rushing yards to rank No. 11 in Division II, while his 116.9 rushing yards per game was good for No. 20 in the country. Baker piled up 7.16 yards per carry to rank No. 9 in the nation and his 18 rushing touchdowns are No. 11 in D-II.

The tailback averaged 9.8 points per game to finish at No. 20 in the nation to help the Eagles rank No. 5 in the country as a team with 43.3 points per outing.

"Being able to come back and play that first game was big," Baker said. "That's when it came back to reality that I was actually playing football. I'm thankful for what Derek and the offensive line did up front, and also for what Dre (De'Andre Thomas) did at quarterback. Couldn't have done this without them."

Baker accounted for 128.5 all-purpose yards per game for the Eagles to fuel a team rushing attack that is currently No. 4 in the nation with 327 yards per game. He turned in six 100-yard rushing games this season, including 249 yards on the ground vs. Mars Hill on Sept. 26 – the seventh highest single game tally in Carson-Newman history. Baker was just three yards shy of his second 200-yard game this season vs. Tusculum in the season finale as he notched 197 rushing yards.

"Thanks to coach Hibbett and coach Sparks," Baker said. "I think people realize now that we've got some pretty good running backs here. When the season first started, Andy encouraged me that I could do it. I set my eyes on having a season like he had last year. I wanted to do what he did."

Baker has also factored prominently in the Carson-Newman record books in his senior season. He has a pair of four touchdown days this year, against Mars Hill and Newberry and is the only player since the turn of the century to score four rushing touchdowns twice in the same season.

With his 1,403 rushing yards, Baker has the eighth highest single-season total in Carson-Newman history and his 18 rushing touchdowns are the seventh highest single-season total in school history.

On top of that his 114 points scored this year are tied for sixth all-time in school history.

Baker is the 12^th Eagle to earn offensive player of the year honors from the league office. He is the first such honoree since Brandon Haywood in 2012. Baker is Carson-Newman's first running back to garner the accolade since Heath Hawkins in 1998 and the seventh overall.

Vander Laan received 217 total points and more than doubled the point total of 107 by running back Ja'Quan Gardner of Humboldt State University, who finished second. Colorado State University-Pueblo senior running back Cameron McDondle finished third at 90.

The award winner is determined in voting by the Division II sports information directors and Vander Laan's 217 point total marked just the second time in the last seven years that the Hill Trophy winner received 200 points or more. It is also the fourth highest vote total by a winner in the Hill Trophy's 30-year history.

Vander Laan was on 89 of the 101 total ballots cast and received 51 first place votes.

Vander Laan won the 2014 Hill Trophy by a narrow nine-point margin. He is just the fourth student-athlete in the 30-year history of the Hill Trophy to win it more than once, joining Texas A&M-Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey (1987, 1988, 1989), Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner (2000, 2001) and Chadron State running back Danny Woodhead (2006-07).

The Hill Trophy will be presented to Vander Laan on Friday, January 8 at a ceremony on the campus of the University of North Alabama, Hill's alma mater.

2015 HILL VOTE TOTALS
TOTAL 1st 2nd 3rd
Points Player Place Place Place
217 Jason Vander Laan JR QB Ferris State 51 26 12
107 Ja'Quan Gardner SO RB Humboldt State 14 21 23
90 Cameron McDondle SR RB Colorado State-Pueblo 14 15 18
58 Brent Wilson SR QB Emporia State 7 10 17
58 Matt Soltes SR QB East Stroudsburg 6 12 16
33 Luke Wingo SR QB North Alabama 5 5 8
30 Jeff Ziemba SR QB Shepherd 3 8 5
13 Damian Baker SR RB Carson-Newman 1 4 2