ROCK HILL, S.C. – The No. 10 Newberry College baseball team was able to take home three of the four major awards given out by the South Atlantic Conference as well as six All-Conference honorees and four All-Defense team accolades as the league announced their postseason awards on Thursday, April 27.
Senior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) garnered his second straight Player of the Year honor, the first time that feat has occurred in SAC history. Freshman Bennett Roemer (Bluffton, S.C.) was named the league's Freshman of the Year while head coach Russell Triplett was named Coach of the Year. This is the second time the Wolves have earned three of the four major awards from the conference, the other occurring in 2019.
Marine and Roemer were also named to the First-Team All-Conference and were joined by sophomore Donovan Ford (Greenville, S.C.) and junior Rhett Jolly (Edgefield, S.C.). Sophomore Tyler Chinpire (Jupiter, Fla.) secured Second-Team honors while sophomore Jonathan Velez (Mayaguez, P.R.) was named to the Third-Team. Ford, Velez and Jolly were joined by sophomore Kade Faircloth (Oviedo, Fla.) as members of the All-Defense squad.
Marine finished the regular season as the league leader in batting average (.446) and on-base percentage (.526). He is ranked second in the conference in runs scored (64) and stolen bases (37) and is third in RBIs (59) and triples (3).
Roemer some very impressive numbers on the mound in his collegiate debut, earning a 7-0 record allowing just 50 hits and 24 runs with 61 strikeouts in 55 and a third innings of work. His 3.09 ERA is the third-best in the SAC this season.
Triplett earns his third SAC Coach of the Year honor after leading his team to their second SAC Baseball Regular Season Title in 2023. Under his guidance, the Wolves are ranked No. 10 nationally with a 36-9 overall record, going 19-4 in league play. The Wolves lead the SAC in three statistical categories: batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.428), and stolen bases per game (3.13).
Ford sat second on the team and second in the league in batting average (.413) while leading the team and league in stolen bases (39). The Wolves center fielder legged out 14 doubles on the year while recording a pair of triples and four home runs on the season.
Jolly served as the primary backstop for the Wolves on the season recording a .315 average at the plate, including 10 doubles and home run. His constant throw-down threat from behind the plate only allowed 20 stolen bags on the season, catching eight runners in the act.
Chinpire boasted the fifth lowest ERA in the league (3.33) while also recording the fifth most wins in the conference this season as well (6). He tossed 51 innings for the Wolves this season while retiring 35 through his own work. He left the contest allowing no runs in three appearances this season.
Velez ranked as the third highest batting average (.329) on the team this season and sat third in on-base percentage (.469). Led the team in hit by pitch (22) and was one of the most hit batters in the nation this season. He was able to turn in nine doubles, a triple and a single home run on the year, driving in 28 runs.
The Wolves enter this weekend's South Atlantic Conference tournament opening round as the top-seed and will face off against eighth-seeded Tusculum at the Smith Road Complex on Friday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m.
