Catawba Hauls in Trio of Individual Awards as SAC Announces Baseball All-Conference and Award Winners
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Catawba's Brandon Crabtree was named the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, while his teammate Casey Gouge was voted Pitcher of the Year. Newberry's Nick Riedel earned Freshman of the Year honors, and Catawba's Jim Gantt was named Coach of the Year as the league announced its All-Conference and individual award winners this afternoon.
Crabtree, a junior from Pittsboro, N.C., won the SAC batting title with a .449 average, 20 points higher than any other qualified hitter in the conference. He also led the league with 83 hits and 20 doubles while finishing second in total bases and on-base percentage. Crabtree ranked among the top 10 in the SAC in slugging percentage, runs, walks, home runs, and runs batted in. He produced 28 multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 performance against UVA Wise, and enters the conference tournament on an 18-game hitting streak while reaching base safely in 21 consecutive games.
Gouge, a senior from Salisbury, N.C., leads the conference with a 2.42 ERA and ranks second with eight wins. In 64.1 innings pitched, he has allowed just 54 hits and struck out 61 batters. Opponents are hitting just .227 against him this season, and he has allowed only one run over his last three starts entering the SAC Tournament.
Riedel, a freshman from Tampa, Fla., was a standout during his rookie season with the Wolves. He has thrown 79 innings and allowed just 59 hits while striking out 67 batters. His 2.62 ERA ranks second in the conference, trailing only Gouge, and his nine wins lead the league. Riedel has allowed one or fewer runs in 10 starts this season and holds opponents to a .215 batting average.
Gantt earns his 15th SAC Coach of the Year honor of his career and his third straight. He guided Catawba to another SAC regular season championship with a 29-4 conference record and an overall mark of 38-9. The Indians are 20-2 at home this season and will host the SAC Tournament for the third consecutive year. Catawba is currently ranked No. 6 nationally.
The entire 2026 SAC Baseball All-Conference teams can be found below:
2026 SAC Baseball All-Conference
All-SAC First Team
OF – Mackenzie Wainwright, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Ben Karpowicz, Wingate
OF – Sam Hunter, Catawba
1B – Brandon Crabtree, Catawba
2B – Jalen Evans, Wingate
SS – Matt Procopio, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B – Tanner McCammon, Wingate
C – Nathan Kidder, Lenoir-Rhyne
DH – Jake Dunlap, Catawba
SP – Casey Gouge, Catawba
SP – Chad Harvey, Wingate
SP – Nick Riedel, Newberry
RP – Joe Burleyson, Catawba
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Bradley Soto Diaz, Carson-Newman
OF – Braeden Harrison, Anderson
OF – Logan Dyer, Catawba
1B – Logan Floyd, Carson-Newman
2B – Ty Hubbard, Catawba
SS – Jake Courville, Wingate
3B – Peyton Starkey, Mars Hill
C – Ky Gregoire, Emory & Henry
DH – Alejandro Ponte, Tusculum
SP – Kolton Casson, Carson-Newman
SP – Colt Wilkins, Catawba
SP – Kellen Gradisar, Lenoir-Rhyne
RP – Preston Drebes, Lenoir-Rhyne
All-SAC Third Team
OF – Gavin Groppuso, Wingate
OF – Landon Dockery, Tusculum
OF – Luke Alford, Coker
1B – Seth Christmas, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Jomar Lugo, Newberry
SS – Gabe Gray, Lincoln Memorial
3B – Hunter Atkins, Catawba
C – Ronny Matti, Lincoln Memorial
DH – Carter Babb, UVA Wise
SP – Kaleb Owens, Anderson
SP – Collin Chappel, Mars Hill
SP – Paul Toovalian, Lenoir-Rhyne
RP – Jack Renaud, Lenoir-Rhyne
All-SAC Defensive Team
P – Collin Chappel, Mars Hill
1B – Brandon Crabtree, Catawba
2B – Ty Hubbard, Catawba
3B – Hunter Atkins, Catawba
SS – Brooks Mauro, Anderson
C – Carson Cochran, Carson-Newman
LF – Bryson Nuckols, Newberry
CF – Malachi Cloud, Catawba
RF – Sam Hunter, Catawba
Coach of the Year
Jim Gantt, Catawba
Freshman of the Year
Nick Riedel, Newberry
Pitcher of the Year
Casey Gouge, Catawba
Player of the Year
Brandon Crabtree, Catawba