Sears starts 41 games as Leatherneck frosh
MACOMB, ILL. -- Dillon Sears started 41 games and batted .217 in his first season of NCAA Division I baseball this past spring, helping the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks finish 17-31 overall and notch their most conference wins since 2006 with a 14-12 record in the Summit League.
The freshman infielder is the son of Chad and Janelle Sears, Westphalia, and a 2017 Harlan Community High School graduate. A Physical Education major, Sears was named to the Summit League’s winter/spring academic honor roll for 2017-2018, requiring a GPA of 3.20 or higher.
Playing mostly at second base for Western Illinois, the former HCHS all-state shortstop appeared in all but three games as a frosh and made 41 starts, posting a .986 fielding percentage with just two errors. Sears went 30-for-138 at the plate (.217) with 16 runs scored, nine RBI, three doubles, two triples, one home run and six stolen bases.
Dillon’s younger brother, Brett, a senior at HCHS, has verbally committed to play baseball at Western Illinois and is expected to sign his letter of intent this fall.