ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University's Ben Scartz and Seth Willis have been named to the 2024 All-South Atlantic Conference Baseball Team announced league officials Thursday.
Scartz was named the All-SAC second team shortstop, while Willis was tabbed the third team relief pitcher. The All-SAC Team is selected by a vote of the conference's 13 head baseball coaches.
Scartz, a senior from Tarpon Springs, Florida, garners All-SAC laurels for a second straight season. He is second on the team with his .382 batting average (7th in SAC) while totaling 66 hits (10th in SAC) including 13 doubles, three triples (10th in SAC), one home run and 36 RBI. He has recorded 20 walks leads the team with five sacrifice flies (6th in SAC) and has gone 8-of-11 in stolen bases.
Scartz has struck out only six times in his 202 plate appearances in 2024 which ranks him the toughest to strikeout. He averages striking out in one out of every 28.8 times at bat, which is the third-best rating in NCAA Division II this year. The 2023 SAC and ABCA Southeast Region Defensive Team selection leads the Pioneers with his 106 fielding assists and owns a .952 fielding percentage.
Willis, a senior from Vale, North Carolina, emerged as Tusculum's closer in 2024 where he has a team-best 3.71 earned run average to go along with a 5-3 record and has posted five saves (4th in SAC). In his 43 2/3 innings of work, he has posted 52 strikeouts which are the second most on the club.
Willis recorded saves in three straight appearances against Carson-Newman and both ends a doubleheader sweep of Mars Hill. He also notched saves in back-to-back outings against No. 15 Lee University as well as the series opening save against Wingate. His five wins have come against King, Lenoir-Rhyne, Lincoln Memorial, UVA Wise and Limestone. The win over Limestone clinched TU a berth in the SAC postseason as he pitched the final 6 2/3 innings in the Pioneers' 13-9 win over the Saints in 14 innings.
In his two seasons at Tusculum, Willis has an 11-7 record in his 33 mound appearances where he has posted 113 strikeouts in 112 innings of work.
The Pioneers (25-24) finished tied for third place in the final league standings with an 18-12 SAC record. TU will be the No. 4 seed in the SAC Tournament and will face No. 5 seed Lincoln Memorial on Friday in Salisbury, North Carolina at 3 p.m.
2024 All-South Atlantic Conference Baseball Team
First Team
OF – Carson Boles, Lincoln Memorial
OF – Sean Barnett, Wingate
OF – Donovan Ford, Newberry
1B – Brett Adams, Wingate
2B – Cam Harris, Wingate
SS – Levi Perrell, Catawba
3B – Kasten Harvey, Lincoln Memorial
C – Bo Rusher III, Catawba
DH – Sal Carricato, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Payne Stolsworth, Catawba
SP – Austin Fine, Catawba
SP – Christain Pencek, Lincoln Memorial
RP – Hunter Harritan, Carson-Newman
Second Team
OF – Dylan Driver, Catawba
OF – Sam Hunter, Catawba
OF – Drew Robertson, Catawba
1B – Tyler McPeak, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Ben Scartz, Tusculum
3B – Jared Foley, Emory & Henry
C – Carlos Hernandez, Anderson
DH – James Denten, Carson-Newman
SP – Kelan Hoover, Wingate
SP – Aaron Diaz, Coker
SP – Dillon Chapa, Lenoir-Rhyne
RP – Hayden Simmerson, Catawba
Third Team
OF – Blake Bean, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Khi Holiday, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Collin Goda, Lincoln Memorial
1B – Ryan Kurth, Lincoln Memorial
2B – Sion Barnette, Limestone
SS – Cameron Bowden, Lincoln Memorial
3B – Logan Floyd, Carson-Newman
C – Cole Stanford, Lenoir-Rhyne
DH – Breon Ishmael, Wingate
SP – Kellen Gradisar, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – H. French, Newberry
SP – M. Marchesini, Newberry
RP – Seth Willis, Tusculum
All-SAC Defense
P – Noah Pridmore, Carson-Newman
1B – Brett Adams, Wingate
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B – Logan Floyd, Carson-Newman
SS – Hunter Poole, Coker
LF – Drew Robertson, Catawba
CF – Donovan Ford, Newberry
RF – Dylan Driver, Catawba
C – Jaylen Mack, Coker
SAC Coach of the Year: Jim Gantt, Catawba
SAC Freshman of the Year: Hayden Simmerson, Catawba
SAC Pitcher of the Year: Payne Stolsworth, Catawba
SAC Player of the Year: Carson Boles, Lincoln Memorial