The South Atlantic Conference Announces 2022 Baseball Awards
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSac.com) – Newberry shortstop Braylin Marine was voted the 2022 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Player of the Year, while Wingate right-handed pitcher Brody McCullough was named the Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Wingate's Seaver King was voted the SAC Freshman of the Year and Wingate skipper Jeff Gregory was named Coach of the Year, the Conference announced today.
Marine, a junior from Freeport, N.Y., was one of the top offensive threats in the SAC this season. He finished the regular season as the league leader in batting average (.437), hits (87), doubles (20), triples (6), and RBIs (72). He is second in the conference in total bases (125) and stolen bases (33), while being ranked in the top-10 in on-base percentage (.471) and slugging percentage (.628). In addition to being named Player of the Year, Marine was a first team All-SAC selection at shortstop and was named to the All-Defensive Team as the shortstop.
McCullough, a junior from Lexington, N.C., has been a nearly untouchable on the mound this season as he finished the regular season with a league-best 1.84 earned run average, as well as a conference-best 94 strikeouts, averaging 17.27 strikeouts per game. McCullough posted an 8-1 record, throwing 49 innings, allowing just 35 hits with only 22 walks and 14 runs on the mound. In addition to being named Pitcher of the Year, McCullough was also a first team All-SAC starting pitcher.
King, a freshman second baseman from Athens, Ga., had a phenomenal start to his collegiate career as he was named the first team All-SAC second baseman after batting .380 with 12 doubles, two doubles, and two home runs. He scored 25 runs and drove in 28 runs, while swiping seven bases and King finished the regular season with a .452 on-base percentage and a .620 slugging percentage.
Gregory earns his second SAC Coach of the Year honor after guiding the top-ranked Bulldogs to their sixth SAC Regular Season Title in program history. Under his leadership, the reigning NCAA Division II National Champions have posted a 42-6 overall record, going 21-2 in conference during the 2022 season.
Joining Marine, McCullough, and King on the All-SAC first team were outfielders Nick Brassington from Queens, Andrew Motsinger from Wingate, and Zane Tarrance from Newberry. Newberry's Henry Gibson was named the first team first baseman, while Mars Hill's Zach Weaver was named the third baseman. Wingate backstop Logan McNeely was named first team catcher and Lenoir-Rhyne's Drew Yniesta was named the first team designated hitter. Rounding out the first team were Lenoir-Rhyne starting pitcher Joshua Lanham, Catawba starter Greg Brown, and Wingate reliever Sam Brodersen.
The SAC baseball awards will be presented at the 2022 SAC Baseball Championship at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn. on Friday, April 29, between games four and five.
2022 SAC Baseball All-Conference
All-SAC First Team
OF – Nick Brassington, Queens
OF – Andrew Motsinger, Wingate
OF – Zane Tarrance, Newberry
1B – Henry Gibson, Newberry
2B – Seaver King, Wingate
SS – Braylin Marine, Newberry
3B – Zach Weaver, Mars Hill
C – Logan McNeely, Wingate
DH – Drew Yniesta, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Brody McCullough, Wingate
SP – Joshua Lanham, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Greg Brown, Catawba
RP – Sam Brodersen, Wingate
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Wade Cuda, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Zane Keener, Tusculum
OF – Kyle Jenkins, Mars Hill
1B – Nick Vella, Anderson
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Micah Genter, Carson-Newman
3B – Isaiah Williams-Rhem, Wingate
C – Nick Clarno, Lenoir-Rhyne
DH – Tyler Lala, Mars Hill
SP – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
SP – Matt Bradley, Carson-Newman
SP – Andrew Patrick, Lenoir-Rhyne
RP – Robbie Cowie, Catawba
All-SAC Third Team
OF – David Bell, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Jacob LeBron, Newberry
OF – Dillon Lewis, Queens
1B – Mitch Farris, Wingate
2B – Jomar Lugo, Newberry
SS – Phill Griffor, Coker
3B – Jonathan Velez, Newberry
C – Carlos Hernandez, Anderson
DH – Tyler Campbell, Virginia-Wise
SP – Josh Dotson, Wingate
SP – Ethan LeBron, Newberry
SP - Patrick Queener, Lincoln Memorial
RP – Corey Avant, Wingate
All-Defensive Team
RF – Jacob LeBron, Newberry
CF – Zane Tarrance, Newberry
LF – Kyle Jenkins, Mars Hill
1B – Mitch Farris, Wingate
2B – Jomar Lugo, Newberry
SS – Braylin Marine, Newberry
3B – Erick Ramirez, Lenoir-Rhyne
C – Logan McNeely, Wingate
P – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
Player of the Year
Braylin Marine, Newberry
Pitcher of the Year
Brody McCullough, Wingate
Freshman of the Year
Seaver King, Wingate
Coach of the Year
Jeff Gregory, Wingate
Statistical Champions
Team Batting Average – Newberry (.336)
Team Slugging Percentage – Lenoir-Rhyne (.513)
Team On-Base Percentage – Newberry (.438)
Team Doubles Per Game – Wingate (2.26)
Team Triples Per Game – Anderson (0.47)
Team Home Runs Per Game – Lenoir-Rhyne (1.42)
Team Stolen Bases Per Game – Newberry (3.17)
Team Earned Run Average – Lenoir-Rhyne (3.79)
Team Strikeouts Per Game – Lenoir-Rhyne (11.9)
Batting Average – Braylin Marine, Newberry (.437)
On-Base Percentage – Henry Gibson, Newberry (.530)
Slugging Percentage – Mitch Farris, Wingate (.774)
Home Runs Per Game – Tyler Campbell, UVA Wise (0.36)
RBIs Per Game – Braylin Marine, Newberry (1.50)
Doubles Per Game – Braylin Marine, Newberry (0.42)
Triples Per Game – Braylin Marine, Newberry (0.12)
Stolen Bases Per Game – Zane Tarrance, Newberry (0.71)
Earned Run Average – Brody McCullough, Wingate (1.84)
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings – Brody McCullough, Wingate (17.27)
Pitching Victories – Austin Mitchell, Wingate (10)
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