ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University's Trey Hinton has been named the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year announced league officials Friday. Hinton earns this honor for a second consecutive season.
The SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the conference's championship sports and is selected by the league's faculty athletic representatives committee. Winners are selected based on their achievements in academics and athletics.
Hinton, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, joins former TU pitching standout Taylor Rakes as the only two-time winners of this prestigious award. This marks the 10th time a TU baseball player has garnered SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. TU SAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete honorees includes: Shane Banks (2001), Mike Calano (2003), Josh Wolff (2005), Kevin Hammons (2007), Dustin Morrow (2008), Payden Houser (2009), Rakes (2013 & 2014) and Hinton (2020 & 2021). Tusculum's 10 SAC Baseball Scholar Athletes of the Year are the most in league history.
Hinton graduated from Tusculum last May with his Bachelor's degree in sport management where he posted a 3.72 cumulative grade point average. He completed his master's degree in business administration earlier this month.
"I'm so proud of Trey for receiving this honor. Trey is a winner both on and off the field," said TU head coach Brandon Steele. "He has made a lasting impact on our program both on and off the field. He is a tremendous ambassador of Tusculum University and we are excited to see what he achieves next."
He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He has also been selected to the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) Honor Roll and was tabbed to last year's NCAA Division II Academic All-District Baseball first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
On the field, Hinton was named to the 2021 All-South Atlantic Conference first team as a designated hitter. He finished third on the team with his .350 batting average while totaling 21 hits, including eight doubles, one triple, and one home run and finished with 15 RBI. His .551 on-base percentage is second on the roster where he drew 24 walks against just 12 strikeouts.
Hinton went 4-for-4 with two RBI in a home win over Limestone and later followed with two hits and two RBI including his first collegiate home run in an 11-6 win over the Saints in his Pioneer Park finale. He also recorded four hits and four RBI in a doubleheader sweep at Carson-Newman.
In his 116-game career, he accounted for 115 walks, which are the second most in TU history. He totaled 94 career hits including 18 doubles, one triple and one home run, while also finishing with 73 RBI and 77 runs scored. He batted .288 while also amassing a .478 career on-base percentage, which is eighth in program history.
In 2019, he was the NCAA Division II National Statistical Champion averaging 1.26 walks per game.
