Cody Grande and Joshua Illing Named 2024 USCAA All-Americans
Juniors Cody Grande and Joshua Illing were recognized nationally for their play this season on the baseball diamond, as both were named to the 2024 United States Collegiate Athletic Association All-American team. Grande was named a Second Team All-American for the second straight year, while Illing was named to the Honorable Mention All-American list.
Coming off a record setting performance in 2023, Grande came right back and was just as dominant in 2024. He led the team in batting with a .419 average and also led the team in RBIs with 46, and hits with 44. He was second on the team in slugging percentage at .708 and was tied for second in runs scored with 38. He was tied for third in doubles and tied for fourth in walks. Perhaps the most amazing statistic of all is the fact he stuck out just twice the entire year!
"I said it when I saw Cody at tryouts the first day during his freshman year-this guy is our next All-American," shared Williamson head coach Doug Thompson. "He was that good.
"The thing is everyone knew about him this year and they still couldn't stop him. In my mind, he already is one of the finest players in Williamson history."
Illing had a breakout year this season. He was second on the team in batting at .394, and led the team in doubles (14) and stolen bases (7), while finishing second on the team in on base percentage at .496 and second in walks with 16. He also finished third in home runs (5) and RBIs (32). While he was remarkable at the plate, he was equally as remarkable in the field. He led the team's outfielders in assists with four and made just two errors the entire season.
"Josh is extremely humble. He lets his play do the talking and it sure did that this year. He was Mr. Clutch for us all season long. He was fantastic at the plate and was someone who covered a lot of ground in center field, as well as someone we knew when we needed a clutch play, either at the plate or in the field, he was always going to come through," shared Thompson.
"Both guys are more than deserving of this honor and I could not be more excited for them both to be recognized in this manner. They truly earned it."
