Aurora University baseball student-athletes, senior catcher Tyler Patton and freshman outfielder Isaac Goddard were named 2026 ABCA NCAA Div. III Region VIII All-Defensive Team when the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) released the All-Region Teams.

For Patton, the defensive honor adds to a 2026 awards list that includes being a D3baseball.com All-American, ABCA and D3baseball.com All-Region and Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference First-Team All-Conference while Goddard adds to his freshman season that saw him named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference First-Team All-Conference.

Patton commanded the Spartan defense from behind the plate and finished with a .987 fielding percentage, picking up 264 putouts, 31 assists and four errors while being part of one double-play and threw out 17 of 54 base-runners on the year.

Goddard was all over the field in center for the Spartans, finishing a perfect 1.000 fielding with 101 putouts and seven assists including one double-play.

AU finished the 2026 season with a 32-14 overall record and won the NACC regular season and tournament championships.