Big South Announces 2023 Baseball Annual Award Winners
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Campbell outfielder
Lawson Harrill (Shelby, N.C.) and Gardner-Webb hurler
Bobby Alcock (Lynn, Mass.) have been voted the 2023 Big South Baseball Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, by the league’s head coaches, it was announced this morning. In addition, Camels’ head coach
Justin Haire was voted Coach of the Year, while Campbell pitcher
Jackson Roberts (Greensboro, N.C.) was selected Big South Freshman of the Year. High Point’s
Adam Stuart (Raleigh, N.C.) was voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Big South’s sports information directors.
Harrill is the first outfielder to be voted Big South Player of the Year since 2018, and marks the third consecutive season a Campbell Camel received the league’s top honor. He finished the 2023 regular-season as the Big South’s leader in home runs (21), runs batted in (64) and slugging percentage (.770), while ranking second in on-base average (.472) and fifth in batting average (.358). Harrill ranked among the Big South leaders in runs scored (4th – 55) and total bases (3rd – 144), in addition to his 67 hits and 14 doubles. The March 6-12 Big South Player of the Week tallied 23 multiple-hit games, including seven games with at least three hits, posted 17 multi-RBI games, featuring four games with at least four, and had a 15-game hitting streak during the campaign. Harrill slashed .385/.445/.827 in 26 Big South games, with league-bests of 13 home runs and 36 RBI. He received nine first-place votes and 28 points in Big South Player of the Year balloting, ahead of UNC Asheville’s
Robbie Burnett (nine points).
Alcock is the first-ever Runnin’ Bulldog to be voted Big South Pitcher of the Year. He concluded the regular-season as the Big South leader in strikeouts (99), earned run average (2.20) and batting average allowed (.170). Alcock went 7-2 overall with three combined shutouts in 81.2 inning pitched, and permitted just seven extra base hits all season (five doubles, two home runs among 48 allowed) in his 13 appearances. Named to the College Baseball Foundation Pitcher of the Year Watch List, Alcock was a three-time Big South Pitcher of the Week honoree in 2023, and fanned at least 10 batters four times -- including 12 in a 1-0 win over Longwood on March 18. In league games this season, he was tops in ERA (1.79), strikeouts per game (10.89), strikeouts (73), innings (60.1) and batting average against (.155) while going 5-2. Alcock received six first-place votes and 25 points in the Pitcher of the Year voting, just ahead of Campbell starter
Cade Kuehler (three first-place votes and 21 points) and USC Upstate starter
Reese Dutton (one first-place vote and 12 points).
Haire is now a four-time Big South Coach of the Year recipient and the first back-to-back honoree since 2009 and 2010 (Coastal Carolina’s
Gary Gilmore). Haire led the Camels to their fifth consecutive Big South regular-season championship, as Campbell finished first in the conference with a 22-5 record while standing 41-13 overall. The Camels enter this week’s Big South Baseball Championship as the league leader in hitting (.318), on-base average (.442), slugging (.570), runs scored (537), doubles (120), triples (16), home runs (112), RBI (480) and stolen bases (122). Campbell’s pitching staff is also first in ERA (4.71), lowest batting average allowed (.226), strikeouts (519), saves (11), fewest home runs allowed (37) and fewest hits allowed (409). Campbell scored 10+ runs in a game 26 times this season -- including four games with 20, won four times over nationally-ranked opponents, and was ranked in the Top 10 national polls during the season. The Camels batted .332 and hit 58 home runs during the 27-game Big South season, and won 20 conference games for the third consecutive year. Haire received eight first-place votes and 27 points in the Coach of the Year voting, ahead of USC Upstate’s
Mike McGuire (19 points, two first-place votes).
Roberts is Campbell’s fourth Big South Freshman of the Year honoree since 2018. He went 2-0 with one save in 14 appearances (one start), posted a 2.45 earned run average, and totaled 32 strikeouts in 29.1 innings while allowing just 12 hits and a .121 batting average. Roberts made his collegiate debut by striking out the side against Rutgers on Feb. 17, and did not allow a hit until his fifth career appearance and ninth total inning of work. Roberts inherited nine runners this season (twice bases loaded) and did not allow a single one to score. He earned the win at No. 15 East Carolina on May 16 by escaping a jam and tossing a scoreless ninth in a wild 14-13 contest. Roberts tossed a season-high 5.2 innings with just one hit, one run and a season-high eight Ks to get the win at PC on April 7. Roberts received five first-place votes and 20 points in the Freshman of the Year voting, ahead of Winthrop’s
Nicholas Badillo (one first-place vote and 14 points) and USC Upstate’s
Mathieu Curtis (two first-place votes and 11 points).
Stuart is a 4.0 student working on his MBA. A 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection, Stuart batted .300 this season with a career-high seven home runs along with 34 RBI, .448 slugging average and .398 OBA. He was one of three Panthers to start all 54 games, and he has started 131 consecutive games since 2021.
The Conference also announced the 2023 All-Conference, All-Freshman and All-Academic teams on Wednesday morning, which are listed below. The All-Conference and All-Freshman teams are voted by the head coaches, while the All-Academic Team consists of one student-athlete from each institution that meets the criteria and is nominated and selected by the league’s sports information directors.
2023 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OF Lawson Harrill, R-Jr., Campbell
OF Robbie Burnett, Soph., UNC Asheville
OF Curtis Robison, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
INF Jarrod Belbin, R-Sr., Campbell
INF Bryce Arnold, Jr., Campbell
INF Eliot Dix, R-Jr., Longwood
INF Grant Sherrod, Jr., USC Upstate
C Grant Knipp, R-Soph., Campbell
UTL Brody Hopkins, Jr., Winthrop
DH Logan Jordan, R-Jr., Campbell
SP Bobby Alcock, R-Soph., Gardner-Webb
SP Cade Kuehler, Jr., Campbell
SP Reese Dutton, Jr., USC Upstate
RP Ty Cummings, Jr., Campbell
RP Aaron Rund, R-Sr., Campbell
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OF Tyler Halstead, R-Sr., Campbell
OF Brett Ahalt, R-Soph., High Point
OF Max Weller, Jr., Campbell
INF Gregory Ryan Jr., R-Sr., Longwood
INF Brody Fahr, Jr., Presbyterian College
INF Cael Chatham, Gr., High Point
INF Drake Pierson, R-Sr., Campbell
C Humberto Torres, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
UTL Mark Black, Soph., Gardner-Webb
DH Jace Rinehart, Soph., USC Upstate
SP Chance Daquila, Jr., Campbell
SP Gus Hughes, Jr., High Point
SP Tyler Switalski, Soph., Gardner-Webb
RP Jake Cubbler, Soph., USC Upstate
RP Josh Bookbinder, Gr., Winthrop
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE
Tanner Smith, RP, Sr., Presbyterian College
Henry Proger, SP, Jr., USC Upstate
Cole Caruso, INF, Soph., USC Upstate
Ryan Miller, SP, Gr., Longwood
Jaylin Rae, Jr., UTL, Charleston Southern
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jackson Roberts, P, Campbell
Nicholas Badillo, C, Winthrop
Mathieu Curtis, P, USC Upstate
Ethan Walker, P, Longwood
Phil Fox, P, Gardner-Webb
Kyle Mueller, P, Presbyterian
Braden Consaul, P, USC Upstate
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Cade Kuehler, P, Jr., Campbell
Casey Asman, OF, Sr., Charleston Southern
Nate Anderson, OF, Jr., Gardner-Webb
Adam Stuart, SS, R-Jr., High Point
Dominick D'Ercole, P, Sr., Longwood
Kyle Decker, OF, R-Sr., Presbyterian College
Tanner Barrs, INF, Sr., Radford
Bryce Fisher, P, Jr., UNC Asheville
Cole Caruso, INF, Soph., USC Upstate
Parker Whittle, P, Jr., Winthrop
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lawson Harrill, OF, R-Jr., Campbell
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Bobby Alcock, R-Soph., Gardner-Webb
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jackson Roberts, P, Campbell
COACH OF THE YEAR
Justin Haire, Campbell
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Adam Stuart, SS, R-Jr., High Point
