Austin Zente(Southwest Guilford High School) Named Player of the Year, Six Earn All-Big South
HIGH POINT, N.C. – After a record-setting regular season within the Big South Conference, a program-best six members of the High Point University baseball team were named to the All-Big South first and second teams, headlined by senior Austen Zente, who was named the league’s Player of the Year.
“Austen Zente being named Player of the Year is an amazing accomplishment,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “He has had an amazing career and he has really put it all together for his senior year. Austen is the essence of a student-athlete and he represents High Point University in the highest manner and truly deserves this award.”
Zente becomes the third Player of the Year in program history, and the first since 2010. He is joined on the All-Big South first team by junior pitcher Andrew Gottfried, senior infielder Hunter Lee, redshirt-junior catcher Daniel Millwee, and senior pitcher Rion Murrah, The five first team honorees is an HPU record as the Panthers had just 12 first team all-conference players in the 18 previous years at the Div. I level.
Freshman infielder Travis Holt was tabbed second team All-Big South and Gottfried earned his second straight All-Academic accolade.
“We had a record-setting regular season as a team and now it is great to see our guys get recognized for their individual efforts,” Cozart said. “Having five players make first team, one on the second team, and one All-Academic selection speaks to the tremendous talent this team possesses.
“Six players receiving awards is yet another first for our program, and I am very proud of our guys. We are excited to get the Big South Baseball Championship started and compete as a team.”
Austen Zente | Senior | Outfielder | Player of the Year | All-Big South First Team
Zente joins Mark Shorey (2006) and Nate Roberts (2010) as Players of the Year that donned the Purple & White. The High Point native was the catalyst for HPU’s offensive success this year, hitting .319 with 13 home runs, 37 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 48 games, all in center field and as the leadoff hitter. Inside league play, Zente ranked first in slugging, first in OBP, first in home runs, first in total bases, and tied for first in stolen bases. He was also second in runs scored and hits, third in average, and tied for sixth in RBI.
Zente scored at least one run in 37 of the 48 games he played, including 21 of 26 league games. The senior also recorded 17 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games. In addition to all his offensive exploits, Zente did not commit an error in the field. This is his first career All-Big South selection.
Andrew Gottfried | Junior | Starting Pitcher | All-Big South First Team | All-Academic
Gottfried earns all-conference honors for the second time in his career, joining his second team selection as a freshman in 2016. This year, the junior was one of five pitchers to make a start all 13 weekends of the year, going 5-5 with a 3.34 ERA in 67.1 innings. He held the opponent to three earned runs or fewer in 11 of the 13 outings. Among league leaders, Gottfried was third in ERA, fourth in opponents average, fifth in fewest runs allowed, tied for sixth in hits allowed, and tied for seventh in walks allowed. The Coral Springs, Fla. native is one of just four qualified pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA in conference play.
In the classroom, Gottfried holds a 3.89 GPA in business administration. This is the second straight year in which he has earns All-Academic status.
Hunter Lee | Senior | Infield | All-Big South First Team
Lee earns all-conference honors for the first time in his career, a year in which he compiled the second-longest hitting streak in program history at 28 games. He appeared in all 52 games, starting 51, while hitting a career-best .330 with six home runs and 38 RBI. Lee led the team in average, hits, doubles, walks, and on-base percentage and ranked among league leaders in OBP (4th), hits (5th), runs (5th), walks (5th), average (6th), and slugging (10th). Defensively, the Maitland, Fla. native posted a .974 fielding percentage and was a part of 42 double plays.
Daniel Millwee | Redshirt-Junior | Catcher | All-Big South First Team
Millwee appeared in 44 games, starting 40 at either designated hitter or catcher. In his first year with HPU, Millwee hit .301 with five home runs and 30 RBI. He ranked eighth in the league and topped the team in on-base percentage (.427). The Summerfield, N.C. native came through in the clutch as well, providing a team-best 15 two-out RBI’s and 10 go-ahead RBI’s. Behind the dish, Millwee made just one error in 187 chances behind the plate for a .995 fielding percentage.
Rion Murrah | Senior | Relief Pitcher | All-Big South First Team
Murrah notched one of the more dominant regular seasons for a Panther reliever in his second year with High Point. The senior led the league in ERA in conference games (1.62) by nearly a full run and allowed only six runs against Big South teams The Bainbridge, Ga. native tied for the Big South lead in saves against conference teams (t-3rd overall), tied for the second-most appearances, and finished third in opponents average. Murrah did not allow an earned run in his final 16.1 innings pitched and did not yield an earned run in 16 of 22 appearances. Seventeen of his 22 outings lasted more than an inning. This is the first all-conference award for Murrah.
Travis Holt | Freshman | Infielder | All-Big South Second Team
Holt burst onto the scene in his freshman campaign, becoming one of three Panthers to appear in all 52 games, starting 49, while hitting .299 with five extra-base hits and 24 RBI. Holt was first on the team with 19 multi-hit games, fourth with 58 hits, and was the eighth-toughest player to strikeout in the league. The Plantation, Fla. native appeared at all four infield positions throughout the year, posting a .989 fielding percentage while handling the eighth-most chances in the league.
2018 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OF Austen Zente, Sr., High Point(Southwest Guilford HS)
OF Matthew Barefoot, R-Soph., Campbell
OF D.J. Artis, Jr., Liberty(Southeast Guilford HS)
INF Mitch Spires, Sr., Winthrop
INF Hunter Lee, Sr., High Point
INF Jonathan White, Jr., Presbyterian
INF Corey Howard, Jr., Gardner-Webb
C Daniel Millwee, Jr., High Point
UTL Tre Todd, Jr., Liberty
DH Jeff Hahs, Sr., Campbell
SP Allan Winans, R-Sr., Campbell
SP Austin Ross, R-Sr., Radford
SP Andrew Gottfried, Jr., High Point
RP Rion Murrah, Sr., High Point
RP Logan Bender, Fr., Campbell
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OF A.J. Priaulx, Sr., Presbyterian
OF Chris Clary, Jr., Gardner-Webb
OF Mickey Dugan, Sr., Gardner-Webb
INF Christian Jones, Sr., Campbell
INF Spencer Horwitz, Soph., Radford
INF Tyler Halstead, Sr., Winthrop
INF Travis Holt, Fr., High Point
C Christian Maggio, Fr., Charleston Southern
UTL Mike Sconzo, Sr., Charleston Southern
DH Chandler Redmond, Jr., Gardner-Webb
SP Bradley Hallman, Sr., Gardner-Webb
SP Nate Pawelczyk, Jr., Winthrop
SP Michael Horrell, Jr., Campbell
RP Tyson Messer, Jr., Campbell
RP Ryan Hedrick, Sr., Presbyterian
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE
Zach Peek, Soph., SP, Winthrop
Mason Fox, Jr., OF, Gardner-Webb
Tyler Galazin, Jr., INF, Liberty
Sammy Miller, Sr., OF, Longwood
Garret Price, Soph., SP, Liberty
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Kyle Mehl, Sr., INF, Campbell
Josh Litchfield, Jr., OF, Charleston Southern
Eric Jones, Jr., 3B, Gardner-Webb
Andrew Gottfried, Jr., RHP, High Point
Zach Clinton, Jr., P Liberty
Zach Potojecki, Sr., RHP, Longwood
AJ Priaulx, Sr., LF, Presbyterian College
Kyle Palmer, R-Sr., LHP, Radford
Jesse Juday, Sr., RHP, UNC Asheville
Hunter Lipscomb, Jr., OF, Winthrop
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Austen Zente, OF, Sr., High Point
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Allan Winans, RHP, R-Sr., Campbell
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Logan Bender, RP, Fr., Campbell
COACH OF THE YEAR
Justin Haire, Campbell
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Josh Litchfield, Jr., OF, Charleston Southern