GREENWOOD—The Peach Belt Conference announced its 2024 Baseball All-Conference and major awards Thursday night. The Bearcats took home two major awards, with Ethan Wilder named Player of the Year, presented by College Ave. Student Loans and Jason Burke named Coach of the Year, presented by College Ave. Student Loans. Wilder and Connor Droze were selected as the First-Team All-Conference, and Gary Garrett, Anson Merrick, Bennett Nance, and Tyler Overholt were selected as the Second-Team.
Coach Burke is just the second Lander Baseball coach to be named Coach of the Year, joining Kermit Smith, who received the award in 2014. Burke has guided the Bearcats to their best record since 2016 and their first regular season championship since 2014. As a team, Lander currently leads Division II in sacrifice flies (40), second in walks (299), fourth in fielding percentage (0.977), and seventh in shutouts (6).
Wilder becomes the first Lander baseball player since Patrick Grady in 2014 to be named Conference Player of the Year. He currently leads the PBC in batting average (.418), hits (82), hits per game (1.67), RBIs (65), and RBIs per game (1.33). Ethan is also second in the conference in doubles (19) and doubles per game (0.39).
Droze earns his third All-Conference selection. He is hitting .308 with 19 home runs, 11 doubles, 58 RBIs, 44 walks, and a 1.207 OPS. Earlier this season, he broke the Lander career home run record against Southern Wesleyan. His 44 walks are second in the conference and 10th nationally, while he leads the conference and is ninth in Division II in home runs.
Garrett earns his first All-Conference award after having a breakout year in 2024. He is hitting a career-best .352 with nine doubles, one home run, 32 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. His 34 stolen bases lead the PBC and are fifth-best in the country, and he leads the conference in stolen bases per game with 0.68.
Merrick, Nance, and Overholt are all picking up their first All-Conference honors.
Merrick is currently 5-0 on the season in 13 appearances and six starts. He has a 2.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, and opponents hit .199 against him. His 1.00 WHIP leads the conference and is 14th best in the country. Anson has two complete games, including a no-hitter earlier in the season against USC Beaufort.
Nance is 6-4 on the season in 11 starts. He has a 3.96 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. His 1.32 WHIP is the 10th best in the conference.
Overholt has been the Bearcats' closer all year and leads the PBC with eight saves, a 3-2 record. He has made 18 appearances out of the bullpen and has 22 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched.
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