GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College’s Kent Peterson (Albemarle, N.C./Nation Ford (S.C.)) and John Macon Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford (Western Carolina)) earned All-South Region honors from D3baseball.com Friday. Peterson, a junior, was a first-team pick, while Smith, a sophomore, earned third-team recognition. The all-region selections, D3baseball.com’s first, were nominated and selected by sports information directors.
The Quakers’ starting third baseman, Peterson led Guilford’s hitters with a career-high .403 batting average, which ranked third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and 14th in school history. He recorded hits in 31 of 39 games, and had a team-high 20 multiple-hit contests. Peterson also contributed nine doubles and 26 runs batted in, and finished third on the team in both categories. He also homered once, scored 28 runs and ranked second on the squad with a .452 on-base percentage. His .955 fielding percentage stood fourth on the team and second among infielders. Peterson was 4-for-5 with a double, three runs and two RBI win Guilford’s Feb. 11 victory over NCAA Division II Bluefield State College. He also had four hits and three RBI Mar. 28 in the Quakers’ triumph at Methodist.
Smith joined the team in January and recorded one of the most prolific seasons in Guilford baseball history. He hit .400 with 13 homers, 14 doubles and 51 RBI. His 13 homers tied the school record and stand third in NCAA Division III through games of May 21. Smith’s league-leading 51 RBI rank second in Guilford history and 21st nationally. A 2012 Second Team All-ODAC pick, he recorded a conference-best .794 slugging percentage, which stands eighth in Division III and third in school history. Smith enjoyed 14 games with at least two RBI and had 18 multiple-hit contests. Despite limited time at first base prior to joining the Quakers, Smith made just three errors in 390 chances for a .992 fielding percentage that ranks 12th in school history. His 373 putouts set the school record. He captured the ODAC’s Baseball Hitter of the Week Award Feb. 20 after helping Guilford to a pair of wins with six hits, including three homers. Smith had two homers and four RBI in a Feb. 18 win over Maryville College (Tenn.) and plated five runners a week later versus Southern Virginia University. He was 3-for-6 with a double, triple, homer and six RBI in a league win over Eastern Mennonite University Apr. 15.
Coach Nick Black’s ’02 team enjoyed its best season since 2006 with a 21-20 overall record (9-9 ODAC). The Quakers set or tied five school standards this season and could return as many as 29 letter winners for the 2013 campaign, including Peterson and Smith.