Greenville, SC – The NCCAA is pleased to recognize Dreyer Homan of the University of Northwestern (UNW) as the 2026 Hank Burbridge Award recipient for Baseball.  
 
A senior out of Clara City, Minnesota, Homan has been phenomenal on the mound for the Eagles, recording a 4-2 record with a 3.29 ERA, the sixth-best mark in the NCCAA, over 63.0 innings pitched. His 80 strikeouts this season rank fifth in the NCCAA, and Homan tallied an incredible 17 strikeouts vs Norwich in just seven innings. Homan threw a complete game shutout against Martin Luther College, allowing just two hits and picking up 12 strikeouts with no runs allowed in the win for UNW. Homan is a two-time NCCAA Baseball Student-Athlete of the Week Award winner and earned Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Pitcher of the Week honors twice this season.
 
Off the field, Homan has earned a 3.94 GPA while majoring in biology and is a three-time NCCAA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time UMAC Academic All-Conference Team member. He has also earned 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, is a seven-time selection to the UNW Dean’s List, and has earned both the Olivia Hospital & Clinic Foundation Scholarship and the UNW President’s Scholarship.
 
Homan has also served at various foodbanks in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, has volunteered with the American Red Cross, Olivia Hospital & Clinic, Maple Brook Dental, and other healthcare organizations, and helps coach youth baseball and teach swim lessons to young people. 
 
University of Northwestern Head Baseball Coach Jesse Eikum says, “Dreyer's faith became much more personal and real to him throughout high school and especially during his college years. One of the biggest moments that shaped his faith was a wrist injury during his senior year of high school that required surgery and forced him to sit out of football and summer baseball. During that time, he had to learn how to trust God's plan, even when it didn't align with his own. Over time, Dreyer has learned that baseball is not where he finds his identity, but rather a way to glorify God and serve others. That perspective has changed how he approaches the game, allowing him to compete to win, while playing with humility, integrity, and respect.”
 
Other Finalists
Brody Baumann, College of the Ozarks
Kaleb Blaskowski, Grace Christian University
Matthew Keener, Ohio Christian University
 
Award Description
Hank Burbridge was the baseball coach at Spring Arbor University for 40 years and amassed a record of 1003 wins and 519 losses. Hank was named NCCAA District/Regional Coach of the Year twelve times, NCCAA National Coach of the Year on four occasions, and was inducted into the NCCAA Hall of Fame in 1993. His Cougar baseball teams won multiple NCCAA and NAIA District Championships and were crowned NCCAA National Champions in 1992, 1993, and 1998. Hank was a mentor and leader in NCCAA and NAIA baseball networks as well as within USA Baseball. He never missed an opportunity to share Christ or to encourage all who came in contact with him. The NCCAA is proud to present this award in recognition of Hank Burbridge’s legacy of service.