TERRE HAUTE, IND. — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology placed three players on the all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Team, in results released by the league on Tuesday.

Sophomore Kody Alayon (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Noll) earned first-team all-conference honors, while senior Hank Akard (Indianapolis/Ben Davis) and sophomore Caleb Kissel (Plainfield, Ill./North) claimed second-team accolades.

Two players also received honorable mention all-conference honors for their efforts this spring.  Junior right fielder Josh Hoeing (Rushville, Ind.) and freshman catcher Zach Trusk (Plainfield, Ill./North) received the recognition.

Alayon led the Fightin’ Engineers in batting average at .424 this season with 53 hits, 10 doubles and 15 stolen bases.  He was named HCAC Tournament Most Valuable Player last weekend after a performance that helped Rose-Hulman finish a perfect 3-0 on the weekend to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 2010.  The effort has also helped Alayon move into 10th place on Rose-Hulman’s career batting average list at .375.

Akard batted .329 this season with team-highs of 56 hits, four home runs, 32 runs batted in and a school record 22 stolen bases.  The center fielder holds Rose-Hulman’s career school record with 51 stolen bases and ranks in the career top 10 all-time in hits (8th at 178) and pitching saves (2nd with 10).

Kissel ranked third on the Fightin’ Engineers in batting average at .327 with 52 hits, seven doubles, 33 runs scored and 30 runs batted in.  His most crucial hit of the season was a three-run, bases-loaded double to snap a 5-5 tie in the ninth inning against Manchester in the HCAC Semifinal Round, which propelled the Fightin’ Engineers into the title game.

Hoeing batted .317 with eight doubles and five triples as the only Fightin’ Engineer to start all 42 games this season.  Trusk hit .310 with a .448 on-base average in his first year behind the plate, and led a Rose-Hulman effort that resulted in 14 base runners thrown out trying to steal this season.

Senior Kevin Farley (Centennial, Colo./Littleton) earned a spot on the conference all-sportsmanship team for his efforts this season.  Farley leads the pitching staff with six wins and has a 4.63 earned run average with one save in 44.2 innings of work.

Rose-Hulman opens the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament on Wednesday with a 3:30 p.m. Central Time matchup against No. 6 ranked St. Thomas.  The Fightin’ Engineers will return to action on Thursday with an opponent and game time to be determined by Wednesday’s outcomes.