Boles and Gantt Named NCBWA Regional Player and Coach of the Year
Salisbury, N.C. ---- Lincoln Memorial outfielder Carson Boles, Young Harris right-handed pitcher Zach Murray and Catawba head coach Jim Gantt earned NCBWA Southeast Region Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year honors, respectively, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon. The association also released its All-Southeast Region teams and nine players from the SAC earned honors.
Boles, a junior from Lebanon, Tenn., leads the region and currently ranks second in the nation with a .475 batting average, while also ranking top 10 in the country with 87 hits, including 24 doubles with 158 total bases, 68 RBI and 68 runs scored with a .572 on-base percentage and an .863 slugging percentage. Boles, the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, led the Railsplitters to the SAC Championship Series for the second straight year.
Murray, a senior from Cleveland, Ga., led Young Harris to a second-place finish in their first year in Conference Carolinas, recording a 9-1 record with a 2.83 ERA across 95.1 innings in 14 starts, including four complete games. The Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Year racked up 92 strikeouts with just 7.46 hits allowed per nine innings and a 1.12 WHIP. Gantt earns NCBWA Southeast Region Coach of the Year for the first time in his 28-year career, leading Catawba to the top seed in the Southeast Regional for the third time in program history. The SAC Coach of the Year has led the Catawba Indians to the NCAA Tournament 12 times in the last 16 full
seasons and 2024 marks Gantt's 10 th 40-win season since 2004.
NCBWA All-Southeast Region Teams
First Team
C – Jack Enrico, Young Harris
1B – David Lewis, North Greenville
2B – Cam Harris, Wingate
3B – Kasten Harvey, Lincoln Memorial
SS – Ethan Wilder, Lander
OF – Carson Boles, Lincoln Memorial
OF – Kody O'Connor, UNC Pembroke
OF – Sean Barnett, Wingate
OF – Donovan Ford, Newberry
DH – Joey Rezek, UNC Pembroke
UT – Gabriel Wuerth, Georgia College
SP – Zach Murray, Young Harris
SP – Rijnaldo Euson, Georgia Southwestern
SP – Reece Fields, North Greenville
SP – Payne Stolsworth, Catawba
RP – Dylan Beck, Young Harris
RP – Nate Roof, North Greenville
Second Team
C – Kalvin Alexander, Georgia Southwestern
1B – Brett Adams, Wingate
2B – Josean Sánchez, Erskine
3B – Matthew Mebane, Georgia College
SS – Levi Perrell, Catawba
OF – Michael Dolberry II, UNC Pembroke
OF – Derek Wylie, Columbus State
OF – Brandon Bellflower, Georgia College
OF – Vito Patierno, Mount Olive
DH – Connor Droze, Lander
UT – Connor Tucker, Belmont Abbey
SP – Erik Johnson, Mount Olive
SP – John Luke Glanton, Georgia College
SP – Jonathan Jacobs, UNC Pembroke
SP – Nick McCollum, Georgia Southwestern
RP – Hunter Harritan, Carson-Newman
RP – Leo Giannoni, Columbus State
Player of the Year | Carson Boles, Lincoln Memorial
Pitcher of the Year | Zach Murray, Young Harris
Coach of the Year | Jim Gantt, Catawba
Breakdown By School:
UNC Pembroke | 4 Total: 2 First Team / 2 Second Team
Georgia College | 4 Total: 1 First Team / 3 Second Team
North Greenville | 3 Total: 3 First Team
Young Harris | 3 Total: 3 First Team
Wingate | 3 Total: 2 First Team / 1 Second Team
Georgia Southwestern: 3 Total: 1 First Team / 2 Second Team
Lincoln Memorial | 2 Total: 2 First Team
Catawba | 2 Total: 1 First Team / 1 Second Team
Lander | 2 Total: 1 First Team / 1 Second Team
Columbus State | 2 Total: 2 Second Team
Mount Olive | 2 Total: 2 Second Team
Newberry | 1 Total: 1 First Team
Belmont Abbey | 1 Total: 1 Second Team
Carson-Newman | 1 Total: 1 Second Team
Erskine | 1 Total: 1 Second Team
Breakdown by Conference:
Conference Carolinas | 14 Total: 8 First Team / 6 Second Team
Peach Belt | 11 Total: 3 First Team / 8 Second Team
South Atlantic | 9 Total: 6 First Team / 3 Second Team