ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College senior Placido Torres has been named the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year announced league officials Wednesday.

Torres was one of five Pioneers who garnered SAC Baseball honors with the announcement of the All-Conference and Gold Glove Teams, which is selected by the league's head coaches.

Torres, a native of North Brunswick, New Jersey, becomes the fifth student-athlete in program history to be named SAC Pitcher of the Year. He joins an elite group which includes Brent Gabel (2005), Kevin Hammons (2007), C.J. Hillyer (2009) and Craig Goodman (2012).

Senior outfielder Kevin Victoriano joins Torres on the All-SAC first team, while freshman second baseman Zack Finchum was named to the All-SAC second team. Junior pitcher Christian Raasch received All-SAC honorable mention distinction, while senior first baseman Creighton Wilke was also tabbed All-SAC honorable mention and was a Gold Glove Team honoree.

Torres has accounted for one of the best performances ever by a Tusculum pitcher so far this season. He has a 9-0 record with a SAC-leading 0.73 earned run average which is the third lowest in NCAA Division II. The two-time All-SAC first team selection leads the nation (NCAA all divisions) with a school single-season record 141 strikeouts (3rd-most in SAC history). In his 12 starts this season, he has pitched 98 innings (2nd in Tusculum history) with five complete games, including three shutouts. He is also limiting the opposition to a .151 batting average against him.

Earlier this season, he recorded a school single-game record 17 strikeouts against Stillman. He has posted 12 or more strikeouts on seven occasions this year, including a 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.

During his two-year Tusculum career, he has amassed an 18-3 record in his 29 mound appearances with a 1.52 ERA which is currently the lowest ever by a Pioneer pitcher. In his 25 career starts, he has pitched six complete games, including a program-record four shutouts.

Victoriano has been producing some serious power numbers for the Pioneers with his 17 home runs, which are second in the conference. The Bronx, New York native is batting .314 with 50 hits, including 14 doubles and a team-best 41 RBI. His .723 slugging percentage is currently second in the SAC while his 14 doubles are 17th in the league. He is second on the team with his 23 walks, while his four assists are the most of the Tusculum outfielders.

Finchum, a local product from Greeneville, Tennessee, is third on the team with his .356 batting average, which is currently 19th in the league. The Greeneville High School graduate has played in 45 games, including 41 starts where he has totaled 52 hits, including 10 doubles, two triples and one home run. He has scored 26 runs and driven in 27 RBI. He is tied for second on the team with six stolen bases and his third with 83 fielding assists.

Raasch, a Norcross, Georgia native, is enjoying his best season in a Tusculum uniform. He has a 7-3 record in his 11 starts where he has a 3.54 ERA in his 76.1 innings of work. He is second on the team with 53 strikeouts and has combined on a pair of shutouts.

Wilke is second on the team with his .369 batting average, which is 10th in the South Atlantic Conference. The Lincoln, Nebraska product leads the Pioneers with his 58 hits, including 11 doubles and six home runs (19th in SAC). He has tallied 36 RBI and has scored 34 runs in his 44 contests. Wilke leads the team with his four sacrifice flies and his .994 fielding percentage, which earned him a spot on the SAC Gold Glove Team.

Tusculum was the SAC Team Statistical Champion for earned run average (2.85) and strikeouts per game (9.3). Individually, Torres was the SAC Statistical Champion for ERA and strikeouts per nine innings (12.95).

The Pioneers (32-17) finished tied for second in the conference standings and will be the No. 3 seed in this week's Pilot/Flying J SAC Tournament, which will be held Apr. 28-May 2 at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee. Tusculum will open against No. 4 seed Lincoln Memorial University this Friday at 7:30 p.m.

- SAC -

2016 All-South Atlantic Conference Baseball Team
First Team
OF - Shane Billings, Wingate
OF - Kevin Victoriano, Tusculum
OF - Rayshelon Carolina, Mars Hill
1B - Steven Cooper, Anderson
2B - Dylan Richardson, Catawba
SS - Evan Rogers, Mars Hill
3B - Brandon Roberts, Carson-Newman
C - Will Albertson, Catawba
DH - Malachi Hanes, Catawba
SP - Placido Torres, Tusculum
SP - Vince Apicella, Carson-Newman
SP - Ethan Elliott, Lincoln Memorial
RP - Bryan Blanton, Catawba

Second Team
OF - Daymon Totherow, Newberry
OF - Will Winslow, Coker
OF - Bill Krebs, Wingate
1B - Chance Bowden, Catawba
2B - Zack Finchum, Tusculum
SS - Matthew De La Rosa, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B - Derek Olenchuck, Newberry
C - Jack Leech, Coker
DH - Bradley Brown, Wingate
SP - Dallas Baldwin, Coker
SP - Zack Kelly, Newberry
SP - Russ Weiker, Catawba
RP - Brock Goodling, Anderson

Honorable Mention
OF - Wes Neiderland, Lincoln Memorial
OF - Luke Setzer, Catawba
OF - Ryan Addington, Carson-Newman
1B - Creighton Wilke, Tusculum
2B - Schuyler Martire, Brevard
SS - Jean Rodriguez, Lincoln Memorial
3B - Eric Kalman, Lincoln Memorial
C - LJ Newman, Anderson
DH - Dylan Powers, Mars Hill
SP - Daniel Nations, Newberry
SP - Christian Raasch, Tusculum
SP - Brandon Donahue, Wingate
RP - Marshall Rentz, Newberry

SAC Gold Glove Team
RF - Garrett Bernardo, Anderson
CF - Shane Billings, Wingate
LF - Clint Allen, Coker
1B - Creighton Wilke, Tusculum
2B - Dylan Richardson, Catawba
SS - Jeremy Simpson, Catawba
3B - Brandon Roberts, Carson-Newman
C - Gooch Greer, Carson-Newman
P - Daniel Nations, Newberry

SAC Player of the Year: Evan Rogers, Mars Hill
SAC Pitcher of the Year: Placido Torres, Tusculum
SAC Freshman of the Year: Ethan Elliott, Lincoln Memorial
SAC Coach of the Year: Jim Gantt, Catawba

Statistical Champions
Team Batting Average - Coker (.320)
Team Slugging Percentage - Catawba (.516)
Team On-Base Percentage - Lincoln Memorial (.426)
Team Doubles Per Game - Lenoir-Rhyne (2.50)
Team Triples Per Game - Newberry (0.54)
Team Home Runs Per Game - Catawba (1.54)
Team RBIs Per Game - Lincoln Memorial (8.10)
Team Stolen Bases Per Game - Mars Hill (1.96)
Team Earned Run Average - Tusculum (2.85)
Tem Strikeouts Per Game - Tusculum (9.3)

Batting Average - Shane Billings, Wingate (.439)
On-Base Percentage - Steven Cooper, Anderson (.541)
Slugging Percentage - Evan Rogers, Mars Hill (.855)
Home Runs Per Game - Evan Rogers, Mars Hill (0.40)
RBIs Per Game - Bill Krebs, Wingate (1.25)
Runs Scored Per Game - Evan Rogers, Mars Hill (1.38)
Doubles Per Game - Chance Bowden, Catawba (0.58)
Triples Per Game - Daymon Totherow, Newberry (0.20)
Stolen Bases Per Game - AJ Strnad, Coker (0.64)
Earned Run Average - Placido Torres, Tusculum (0.73)
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings - Placido Torres, Tusculum (12.95)
Pitching Victories - Ethan Elliott, Lincoln Memorial (10)