Century's Hunter Guenther Named the 2025 NJCAA DIII Baseball Player of the Year

Charlotte, NC – A super utility player, dominating at all positions he plays. Century College's Hunter Guenther has been named the 2025 NJCAA Baseball Division III Player of the Year.

Guenther was a force on the mound, at the plate and at shortstop for the Wood Ducks. In the circle, he started 10 games, garnering a record of 8-0. Over 53 innings, Guenther struck out 85 batters, registering 14.43 batters per nine innings. He posted an earned run average of 1.53, allowing just 5 home runs and 28 hits.

"Hunter is a true competitor; he has a fire and desire to win! His drive is matched only by his great athleticism which makes him the excellent ball player that he is," said Head Coach, Matthew Erzar.

When he wasn't sitting down opposing hitters on the mound, Guenther played shortstop. While in the middle infield, Guenther collected 59 putouts and a fielding percentage of .926. He registered 91 assists and turned 17 double plays.

The Wood Ducks capitalized off their multifaceted phenom as he was a great asset in the lineup. Guenther batted .377 on the year with an OBP of .486 and a .599 slugging percentage. He drove in 33 runs this season. His speed and ability to get on base led to Guenther finishing the year with 32 stolen bases, 19^th most in the nation.

"Guenther excels in every facet of the game: on the basepaths he is a menace, he is a consistent hitter with a bit of pop, he defends with great bounce and has the arm and intelligence to make plays," Erzar said. "On the mound his velocity, location and action on his ball makes him very difficult to square up. An all-around great player and teammate, Guenther is well deserving on this award. It was a pleasure to coach him this season, I'm excited to see what he does next."

Century finished the season as the no. 12 nationally ranked team in 2025. Due to talent like that of Guenther's, the Wood Ducks had a magical world series run. Going in as the no. 8 seed, they took down the no. 1 undefeated SUNY Niagara, bestowing upon them their first loss of the season. They went on to place second in the National Tournament.

2025 Stats

• .377 Batting Average
• .486 OBP
• .599 SLG%
• 8-0 Record
• 9 Earned Runs
• 1.53 ERA
• 85 Strikeouts
• 14.43 K/9
• .926 Fielding Percentage
• 59 Put outs

2025 Awards/Accomplishments

• 2025 NJCAA First Team All-America
• 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove Selection
• All-Region XIII First Team
• All MCAC First Team Selection
• 2025 World Series Pitcher of the Tournament