NEWBERRY – One of the most challenging events in all of collegiate athletics begins on Thursday in Newberry at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

No. 2 seed Newberry

• School-record 41 wins
• Newberry's first-ever NCAA Championship appearance
• First-ever regular season conference championship; advanced to conference tournament finals for first time since 1999
• Fourth-highest SAC winning percentage in conference history (21-3)
• 23-2 in home games this season
• Top 20 in 12 statistical categories, including 6th most runs scored (431), 7th most hits (554), and 9th most stolen bases (121)
• Best postseason finish: seventh at 1977 NAIA World Series
• Danton Hyman Academic All-District, two-time SAC Player of the Week CoSIDA: SAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Southeast Region and All-SAC, SAC All-Defensive Team, SAC All-Tournament Team,
  • School record 90 hits this season
• Josh Bookbinder: SAC Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-Southeast Region, First Team All-SAC, SAC and Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week
  • Tied with Quinton Driggers and Scott Butcher (1993) for single-season school record in wins (9)
• Quinton Driggers: First Team All-Southeast Region and All-SAC, SAC All-Defensive Team, two-time SAC Pitcher of the Week, Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week
  • Leads Division II in hits allowed per nine innings (4.38), second in ERA (1.34)
  •  One of two players in all three NCAA divisions with nine wins and six saves
• Russell Triplett: SAC Coach of the Year

Three SAC Major Awards
o   Danton Hyman – Player of the Year
o   Josh Bookbinder – Pitcher of the Year
o   Russell Triplett – Coach of the Year
Eight selections to All-SAC teams
o   Danton Hyman – First Team – OF
o   Josh Bookbinder – First Team – SP
o   Quinton Driggers – First Team – RP
o   Dalton Lansdowne – Second Team – 2B
o   Colin Allman – Second Team – SS
o   Nick Butler – Honorable Mention – OF
o   Charlie Fessler – Honorable Mention – SP
o   Tomas Sorcia, Jr. – Second Team – SP
All-Defensive Team
o   Danton Hyman – CF
o   Quinton Driggers – P
All-Tournament Team
o   Quinton Driggers
o   Josh Bookbinder
o   Colin Allman
o   Danton Hyman
 
No. 3 Seed Catawba

• Catawba is making its 12th regional appearance which began in 2004
• Catawba has a regional record of 27-23 and won the Southeast Regional in 2012 and 2015
• Catawba was national runner-up in 2015
• Catawba has won 13 regular season SAC titles and eight tournament titles, including 2019
• Head Coach Jim Gantt has guided both Catawba and the Rowan County American Legion teams to national runner-up finishes
• Gantt has won 829 games at Catawba

Six selections to All-SAC teams
o   Jeremy Simpson – First Team – SS
o   Jackson Raper – Second Team – 3B
o   Heath Mitchem – Second Team – DH
o   Bryan Ketchie – Second Team – SP
o   Riley Myers – Honorable Mention – SP
All-Defensive Team
o   Lee Poteat – RF
o   Jeremy Simpson – SS
o   Jackson Raper – 3B
SAC Championship Tournament MVP
o   Hunter Shepherd
All-Tournament Team
o   Hunter Shepherd
o   Riley Myers
o   Bryan Ketchie
o   Peyton Williams
o   Sawyer Strickland
o   Jackson Raper
o   Cameron Morrison
 
No. 6 Seed Young Harris

• 35-19 overall, 16-12 Peach Belt Conference (4th overall)
• Peach Belt Conference Tournament Champions
• First-ever PBC Tournament title (2 appearances)
• Making first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in program history
• 35 wins are second most during NCAA era
• 16 PBC wins are the most ever
• Over their last three games, the Mountain Lions have scored 17 total runs in the first three innings
• Fourth YHC team to make NCAA Division II postseason this year (men's soccer, men's golf, softball)
• Four players made All-Peach Belt Team (most ever)
• Dahlton Cash ranks 14th in NCAA Division II in doubles (20), while Zavier Lushington is 18th in total bases (132) and 22nd in triples (5)
• Zavier Lushington was named NCBWA Division II National Hitter of the Week this year, while McLain Harris and Drew Wilson have been NCBWA Division II Southeast Regional Pitcher of the Week
• YHC Baseball Players Currently in the Pros – Nick Markakis (Braves), Charlie Blackmon (Rockies), Cory Gearrin (Mariners)

 
Four selections to All-Peach Belt teams
o   Zavier Lushington – First Team – OF
o   Dahlton Cash – First Team – UT
o   Brett Hawkins – Second Team – 3B
o   Dylan Gibeau – Second Team – SP
Peach Belt Tournament MVP
o   Zavier Lushington
All-Peach Belt Tournament Team
o   Zavier Lushington
o   Dahlton Cash
o   Tyler Washington
 
Game Schedule
Thursday, May 16
7:00 p.m. — Young Harris vs. Catawba
 
Friday, May 17
3:30 p.m. — Loser Game 1 vs. Newberry
7:00 p.m. — Newberry vs. Winner Game 1
 
Saturday, May 18
3:30 p.m. — TBD vs. TBD
7:00 p.m. — TBD vs. TBD (if necessary)
 
Tickets
Adults: $10
Children (18 and under): $5
Students with valid ID: $5
Seniors: $5
 

Up Next

The winner of this regional faces off with the winner of a regional hosted by top-seeded North Greenville featuring the Crusaders, No. 4 seed Mount Olive, and No. 5 seed Lincoln Memorial. The best-of-three series at the home of the higher seed May 24-25.