PEMBROKE, N.C. --- Tusculum College senior Placido Torres has been named the 2016 NCAA Division II Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year as selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Torres and senior outfielder Kevin Victoriano have also been tabbed to the NCBWA All-Southeast Region first team.

The duo contributed to the Pioneers 36-16 record which led to a share of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament title and earned a berth to the NCAA II Championship Tournament. Tusculum will being NCAA postseason play on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. as they open against 19th-ranked USC Aiken.

Torres, a left-hander from North Brunswick, New Jersey, becomes the second Tusculum student-athlete to garner NCBWA Region Pitcher of the Year laurels. He joins former TC standout Craig Goodman, who earned the award in 2012.

Torres, the 2016 SAC Pitcher of the Year, owns a perfect 10-0 record with a sterling 0.67 earned run average which is currently second in the nation. He has pitched in a school single-season record 107 innings and leads all three NCAA divisions with 150 strikeouts, the most ever by a Pioneer hurler.

In his 13 starts, the Brett Tomko Award national semifinalist has pitched six complete games, including a TC record four shutouts. 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 seven occasions this year, including 15 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout over Wingate, earning him national pitcher of the week honors by the NCBWA. In his last outing, he pitched a four-hit shutout in Tusculum's SAC Tournament win over Lincoln Memorial, earning him a spot on the All-Tournament squad.

Torres has been named SAC Pitcher of the Week six times, NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week on four occasions and State College Pitcher of the Week by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.

During his two-year Tusculum career, Torres has amassed a 19-3 record in his 30 mound appearances with a 1.45 ERA which is currently the lowest ever by a Pioneer pitcher. In his 26 career starts, he has pitched seven complete games, including a program-record five shutouts.

Victoriano, a native of Bronx, New York, leads the Pioneers with his 17 home runs, which are second in the league and are the fifth-most ever in a Tusculum single-season. The 2016 All-SAC first team choice has a .316 batting average while scoring a team-high 51 runs, with 56 hits, 14 doubles, 41 RBI, 28 walks and a team-high .684 slugging percentage.

Victoriano has also recorded four stolen bases, been hit by a pitch a team-leading eight times and has record four outfield assists.

Both Torres and Victoriano advance to the NCBWA All-America ballot, which will be announced later this month.

- TC -

2016 NCBWA NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Baseball Team
Region Player of the Year: Dylan Cook, Sr., Georgia College
Region Pitcher of the Year: Placido Torres, Sr., Tusculum
Region Coach of the Year: Greg Appleton, Columbus State

First Team
SP: Vince Apicella, Sr., Carson-Newman (Tenn.)
SP: Placido Torres, Sr., Tusculum (Tenn.)
SP: Dylan Ward, So., Barton (N.C.)
RP: Brandon White, Jr., Lander (S.C.)
C: Will Alberton, Sr., Catawba (N.C.)
1B: Mike McClellan, Sr., Columbus State (Ga.)
2B: Dylan Cook, Sr., Georgia College
3B: Blake Edwards, Sr., Columbus State (Ga.)
SS: Evan Rogers, Sr., Mars Hill (N.C.)
OF: Shane Billings, Jr., Wingate (N.C.)
OF: Zach Daly, Sr., Lander (S.C.)
OF: Kevin Victoriano, Sr., Tusculum (Tenn.)
DH: Zach Moon, Jr., USC Aiken
UTL: Brooks Kennedy, So., Francis Marion (S.C.)

Second Team
SP: Ethan Elliott, Fr., Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)
SP: Will Jones, Sr., Lander (S.C.)
SP: Brandon Koehler, Jr., Columbus State (Ga.)
RP: Cameron Busby, So., Georgia College.
C: Andrew Webster, Jr., Barton (N.C.)
1B: Taylor Walker, Sr., Montevallo (Ala.)
2B: Dylan Richardson, Sr., Catawba (N.C.)
3B: Brandon Roberts, Sr., Carson-Newman (Tenn.)
SS: Ryan Ihle, Sr., Columbus State (Ga.)
OF: Matthew Miller, Jr., Georgia College
OF: Zak Orrison, Sr., Mount Olive (N.C.)
OF: Ryan Whitt, Sr., King (Tenn.)
DH: Bradley Brown, So., Wingate (N.C.)
UTL: Zach Almond, So., Catawba (N.C.)

Honorable Mention
Pitcher: Brandon Agar, Sr., North Georgia; Tyler Byrnes, Sr., Belmont Abbey (N.C.); Ethan Greene, Sr., Pfeiffer (N.C.); Brighton Hudson, So., Mount Olive (N.C.); Joe Marlow, Sr., USC Aiken; Blake Waldren, So., Belmont Abbey (N.C.); Bruce Zimmerman, Jr., Mount Olive (N.C.).
Relief Pitcher: Kyle Halbohn, Sr., Belmont Abbey (N.C.); Joe Johnson, Sr., Erskine (S.C.); John Leopard, Sr., North Greenville (S.C.).
Catcher: Max Schoen, Sr., USC Aiken.
First Base: Colby Lusignan, Sr., Lander (S.C.). Second Base: Kolin McMillen, Sr., Flagler (Fla.).
Third Base: Nick Nunziato, Jr., Belmont Abbey (N.C.).
Shortstop: Colin Rosenbaum, So., Belmont Abbey (N.C.).
Outfield: Nick Beinlich, Jr., Belmont Abbey (N.C.); Samuel Cothran, Sr., Erskine (S.C.); Bill Krebs, Sr., Wingate (N.C.); Jackson Oliver, Sr., Columbus State (Ga.); Mitchell Price, Jr., USC Aiken.
Designated Hitter: Thomas Berry, Sr., Lander (S.C.); Malachi Hanes, Jr., Catawba (N.C.); Chris Rave, Jr., Erskine (S.C.).