ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Three Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2023 All-South Atlantic Conference Baseball Team.
Tyler Ranel and Christian Ortega earned All-SAC second team honors, while Ben Scartz was named to the All-SAC third team. Scartz was also tabbed as the best defensive shortstop in the league and was named to the SAC All-Defensive Team.
Ranel, a junior outfielder from Lawrenceville, Georgia, is third on the team where he is batting .348. He has totaled 54 hits including nine doubles and is tied for the team-lead with three triples and eight home runs (T10th in SAC). He has recorded 26 RBI and scored 42 runs in his 39 starts. He is also tied for the team-lead with nine stolen bases.
Ranel has accounted for 16 multiple-hit games and is riding a six-game hitting streak. Earlier this season, he posted a string of 24 consecutive games where he reached base safely. He had a four-hit game against Carson-Newman (Feb. 8) and has recorded a pair of two-home run games against UVA Wise (Feb. 26) and Catawba (Apr. 15).
In his two seasons with the Pioneers, Ranel has played in 54 games where he owns a .358 batting average with 68 hits including 10 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 37 RBI and 52 runs scored.
Ortega, a senior third baseman from Miami, Florida, leads the Pioneers with his .395 batting average, which is currently fourth in the conference. He also leads the team in runs (45 – T11th in SAC), hits (66 – 4th in SAC), doubles (20 – 2nd in SAC / 8th in NCAA II), home runs (8 – T10th in SAC), RBI (44 – T8th in SAC), total bases (112), slugging percentage (.671 – 8th in SAC) and on-base percentage (.485 – 6th in SAC).
Ortega leads the team with 20 multiple-hit games including a pair of four-hit performances. His 12 multiple RBI contests are first on the roster and is riding a five-game hitting streak and has reached base in his last 17 games. His 20 doubles this year are tied for the fifth-most in a Tusculum single-season.
In his 91-game career, he has tallied 106 hits with 23 doubles, 17 home runs, 70 RBI, 73 runs and a .321 batting average.
Scartz, a junior from Tarpon Springs, Florida, is second on the team with his .357 batting average (14th in SAC). He has totaled 56 hits including 11 doubles with 34 RBI and 38 runs scored. He has struck out 11 times in his 186 plate appearances (14.3 – 3rd in SAC / 32nd in NCAA II). He has accounted for 17 multiple-hit games and 11 outings with multiple RBI. He has reached base safely in his last 11 games including his current five-game hitting streak.
Defensively, he has an impressive .982 fielding percentage which is the highest of the conference's shortstops. He has made only three errors in his 170 total fielding chances. He opened his TU career by going errorless through his first 141 chances.
The Pioneers finished the regular-season with a 25-22 record and have clinched a winning season. Tusculum finished eighth in the league standings and will travel to the Newberry, South Carolina this weekend for the opening round of the SAC Baseball Championships. TU will open play against top-seed and 14th-nationally ranked Newberry on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
2023 All-South Atlantic Conference Baseball Team
First Team
OF – Blake Bean, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Wade Cuda, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Donovan Ford, Newberry
1B – Tyler McPeak, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B – Seaver King, Wingate
SS – Braylin Marine, Newberry
C – Rhett Jolly, Newberry
DH – Sal Carricato, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Mitch Farris, Wingate
SP – Austin Fine, Catawba
SP – Bennett Roemer, Newberry
RP – Robbie Cowie, Catawba
Second Team
OF – Jordan Lathe, Mars Hill
OF – Wayne Mize, Emory & Henry
OF – Tyler Ranel, Tusculum
1B – Cole Harness, UVA Wise
2B – Carson Simpson, Wingate
3B – Christian Ortega, Tusculum
SS – Levi Perrell, Catawba
C – Mitchell Balint, Carson-Newman
DH – Kody Hanna, Coker
SP – Tyler Chinpire, Newberry
SP – Andrew Patrick, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Patrick Queener, Lincoln Memorial
RP – Corey Avant, Wingate
Third Team
OF – Sean Barnett, Wingate
OF – Dylan Driver, Catawba
OF – Jermie Greene, Jr., Emory & Henry
1B – Brett Adams, Wingate
2B – Hunter Meador, UVA Wise
3B – Jonathan Velez, Newberry
SS – Ben Scartz, Tusculum
C – Carlos Hernandez, Anderson
DH – Carson Boles, Lincoln Memorial
SP – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
SP – Marty Neal, Limestone
SP – Jackson Reid, Lenoir-Rhyne
RP – Jake Wright, Carson-Newman
SAC All-Defensive Team
LF – Kade Faircloth, Newberry
CF – Donovan Ford, Newberry
RF – Dylan Driver, Catawba
1B – Brett Adams, Wingate
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B – Jonathan Velez, Newberry
SS – Ben Scartz, Tusculum
C – Rhett Jolly, Newberry
P – Mitch Farris, Wingate
SAC Player of the Year: Braylin Marine, Newberry
SAC Pitcher of the Year: Mitch Farris, Wingate
SAC Freshman of the Year: Bennett Roemer, Newberry
SAC Coach of the Year: Russell Triplett, Newberry
