GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Tusculum College's Placido Torres has been named the 2016 NCAA Division II Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Torres was tabbed to the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region first team, while outfielder Kevin Victoriano received second team recognition.

Torres, a senior left-hander from North Brunswick, New Jersey, becomes the first Tusculum baseball player to be a consensus Region Pitcher of the Year honoree, having received the same award by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) this season.

Torres has accounted for the best season ever by a Tusculum hurler as he owns a perfect 11-0 record in his 14 starts where he pitched seven complete games, including a TC-single-season record four shutouts. His 11 wins tied for second-most in a TC season and are the most by a Pioneer hurler during the NCAA Division II era (1999-present).

His 0.70 earned run average is best in the nation and is a new program and conference record. He leads all three NCAA divisions with a school single-season record 162 strikeouts. His seasonal strikeout total is the second most in SAC history and the 10th most in NCAA II history. He threw a school record 116 innings this season where he allowed 24 walks and limited the opposition to a .154 batting average. He also leads NCAA II in fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (4.73).

Earlier this season, the two-time All-SAC first team selection recorded a school single-game record 17 strikeouts against Stillman. He has posted 12 or more strikeouts on eight occasions this year, including 15 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout over Wingate, earning him national pitcher of the week honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Torres has been named SAC Pitcher of the Week six times and NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week on four occasions.

Torres has pitched a pair of complete game victories in his two postseason starts this year. He tossed a four-hit shutout in Tusculum's SAC Tournament opener against Lincoln Memorial, earning him a spot on the SAC All-Tournament Team. He followed that with last Saturday's nine-inning complete game victory over 15th-ranked Belmont Abbey in an elimination contest of the NCAA II Southeast Regional in Columbus, Georgia. In that game, he allowed a run on seven hits, with two walks and a dozen strikeouts.

During his two-year Tusculum career, he has amassed a sterling 20-3 record in his 31 mound appearances with a 1.43 ERA which is the lowest ever by a Pioneer pitcher. In his 27 career starts, he has pitched eight complete games, including a program-record five shutouts. His 272 career strikeouts are a new TC record and are the sixth-most in the SAC record book. His 201.1 career innings pitched are sixth in program history, while his 20 wins are fifth-most by a Pioneer.

Victoriano, a native of Bronx, New York, garners his second All-Region accolade this month. He was selected to the NCBWA All-Region first team.

The 2016 All-SAC first team choice led the Pioneers with his 18 home runs, which were the second-most in the conference this season and are currently 17th in the nation. He 18 round-trippers are the fifth-most in a Tusculum single-season.

In his 55 outings in 2016, Victoriano batted .316 while leading the Pioneers in slugging percentage (.668), runs scored (54), walks (30) and total bases (129). His 61 hits were tied for third on the team, including his 14 doubles, which were second on the squad. He was also hit by a pitch eight times, recorded four stolen bases and led the team with four outfield assists.

Victoriano was also named to the NCAA Il Southeast Regional All-Tournament Team. He recorded a hit in all four regional games he appeared in as he finished with five hits including his two-run homer against Mount Olive in Sunday's first elimination game of the regional, which sparked Tusculum to a 3-2 victory over the Trojans. He also went 2-for-4 with a two-run single in TC's 7-1 win over 15th-ranked Belmont Abbey on Saturday to eliminate the Crusaders. On the week, the 2016 NCBWA All-Region first team choice batted .313 with a team-high four RBI to go along with three runs scored, two walks and struck out only once in his 18 plate appearances.

Tusculum finished the year with a 38-18 overall record, including wins in five of its last seven games. The Pioneers captured a share of the SAC Tournament title for the program's fourth league postseason crown. TC earned the program its seventh NCAA II Tournament appearance, which are the second most of any SAC member. The Pioneers have accounted for 16 consecutive winning seasons, including 14 straight 30-win campaigns.

TC posted a 2-2 record in last weekend's NCAA II Southeast Regional to claim third place honors. The Pioneers lost its opening game 2-1 to 19th-ranked USC Aiken before bouncing back with wins over Belmont Abbey (7-1) and Mount Olive (3-2) before falling to USC Aiken again in the elimination bracket final Sunday night.

- TC -

2016 ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region Team
First Team
Pos Player Cl. School
C Will Albertson Sr. Catawba
1B Mike McClellan Sr. Columbus State
2B Dylan Cook Sr. Georgia College
3B Blake Edwards Sr. Columbus State
SS Evan Rogers Sr. Mars Hill
INF Colby Lusignan Sr. Lander
OF Shane Billings Jr. Wingate
OF Ryan Whitt Jr. King
OF Matthew Miller Jr. Georgia College
OF Zak Orrison Sr. Mount Olive
DH Zach Moon Jr. USC Aiken
P Placido Torres Sr. Tusculum
P Dylan Ward So. Barton
P Bruce Zimmerman Jr. Mount Olive
P Vince Apicella Sr. Carson-Newman
RP Brandon White Jr. Lander

Second Team
Pos Player Cl. School
C Andrew Webster Jr. Barton
1B Taylor Walker Sr. Montevallo
2B Dylan Richardson Sr. Catawba
3B Brandon Roberts Sr. Carson-Newman
SS Ryan Ihle Sr. Columbus State
INF Henry Faunce Jr. Erskine
OF Will Winslow Jr. Coker
OF Jackson Oliver Sr. Columbus State
OF Kevin Victoriano Sr. Tusculum
OF Zach Daly Sr. Lander
DH Thomas Berry Sr. Lander
P Zack Kelly Jr. Newberry
P Ethan Elliott Fr. Lincoln Memorial
P Will Jones Sr. Lander
P Brandon Agar Sr. North Georgia
RP Joe Johnson Sr. Erskine

Southeast Region Player of the Year: Dylan Cook, Georgia College
Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year: Placido Torres, Tusculum