SUNY Niagara's Dalton Harper named DIII Baseball Player of the Year
Charlotte, NC: After leading his team to their first national championship in school history, SUNY Niagara's (NY) catcher Dalton Harper has been named the 2026 NJCAA Division III Baseball Player of the Year.
At the DIII Baseball World Series, Harper finished with a .621 batting average (23-of-37), three home runs, drove in 23 runs and scored an additional 16 times through SUNY Niagara's championship winning run in Johnson City, Tennessee. Harper was one of the best hitters in the nation, he tied for first in hits (105), second in batting average (.556), fourth in runs batted in (91), tied for fourth in home runs (17), and eighth in runs scored (85).
"Dalton deserves everything he gets," said SUNY Niagara head coach Matt Clingersmith. "Sometimes great players have to battle adversity. He was redshirted as a freshman in college at a Division I school, transferred back home and became one of the best catchers in the country. We're looking forward to seeing where his journey goes on at the next levels. The biggest thing about his game is that obviously he was one of the best players in the country and one of the best defensive players in the country, but he also called every pitch for us this season, which is unheard of in today's age with technology,"
SUNY Niagara was ranked inside the top 5 for the entirety of the 2026 season, and Dalton and company led them to a 56-6 record, a North District Championship, and a national championship.
The Thunderwolves would enter this years World Series as the No. 3 seed. In the first round, Niagara would face off against sixth seeded Northern Essex (MA) and would win 11-5. Their second round matchup would be against 3-time defending champion and No. 2 seed RCSJ Gloucester (NJ) and upset the No. 2 seed 9-7. SUNY Niagara's semifinal matchup would find them facing off with the No. 1 seed Dallas-Eastfield (TX). The Thunderwolves rallied from a three run deficit after the first inning and go on to win 6-5. The championship game would see Niagara rematch against Gloucester in which Niagara would seal the championship with a 12-8 win.
Harper plans to continue his academic and athletic career at NCAA Division I Penn State University.
2025-26 NJCAA Accomplishments
- 2026 NJCAA DIII Baseball First-Team All-America
- 2026 NJCAA DI Baseball World Series Most Valuable Player
- 2026 Region III Player of the Year
- 2026 Region III Defensive Player of the Year
