After an All-American sophomore season with the West Florida Argonauts last spring, Spanish Fort alum Dalton Neuschwander has picked up right where he left off.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder recently earned Gulf South Conference (GSC) Pitcher of the Week honors for a second time this season. It also marked the team’s sixth weekly honor from the conference overall.

In last Saturday’s start against the Shorter Hawks, Neuschwander delivered a complete-game effort where the only earned run allowed came in the ninth and final inning. The former Toro threw four no-hit innings and used three strikeouts to run his strikeout total so far this season to 40.

Entering this weekend’s series against the Union Bulldogs, Neuschwander owned a 4-2 record in 9 starts so far with a 2.54 ERA over a team-high 56.2 innings pitched as West Florida’s Friday night starter.

The Argonauts entered the weekend with a 22-12 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the conference, which was good enough for second place. After next weekend’s series with fifth-place Montevallo (12-6 in GSC entering the weekend), West Florida is scheduled to finish with series against third-place Auburn-Montgomery (15-6) and first-place Lee (14-4).

Neuschwander was a key piece of the Argonauts’ 2023 squad that swept both the GSC regular-season and tournament championships for the first time in program history. He was named the conference’s Pitcher of the Year with an 8-0 record in his first season with West Florida after starting his college career at Coastal Alabama-South. He earned three weekly honors from the GSC as well as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

The Argonauts went on to earn the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship and served as one of 16 regional hosts. West Florida eventually fell in the South Regional #2 finals to close with a 39-17 overall record in its ninth NCAA postseason appearance.

Neuschwander represented the Argonauts as the South Region Pitcher of the Year by the NCBWA, Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). He earned a first-team All-American honor from D2CCA as well as second-team All-American nods from the NCBWA and ABCA.

Over 16 total starts last season, he finished 10-0 with 3 complete games, including 1 shutout, and a 1.87 ERA over 101.1 innings pitched. He allowed 73 hits and 27 walks against 77 strikeouts where opposing hitters averaged .198.

When he was recognized for his All-American achievements at West Florida’s Fall Game this offseason, Neuschwander was quick to share the credit.

"It's a great honor, but it wasn't an individual award, it's a team award for sure. I wouldn't be able to do it without the guys behind me, so it's an honor though," Neuschwander said in an interview from Sept. 29, 2023.