Conference Carolinas Unveils 2023 Baseball All-Conference Honors
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Conference Carolinas released its 2023 baseball awards, as selected by the league’s head coaches, on Tuesday, May 2.
Dale Francis, Jr. of Erskine was selected as Player of the Year. A sophomore first baseman from Fort Pierce, Florida, Francis, Jr. finished the regular season leading the league in average (.521), on-base percentage (.600) and hits (50) in league contests. He was also third in the conference in RBIs with 34 and home runs with 10. He is the fourth player from Erskine to win the honor and first since Bryan Fogle won back-to-back honors in 2009 and 2010.
Tanner Halvorson of Barton was named Pitcher of the Year. A junior left-handed pitcher/designated hitter from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Halvorson led the league in wins (9), innings pitched (67) and earned run average (2.15) in league games with 54 strikeouts against 10 walks and held conference foes to a .244 average this season. He also hit .333 this season with 36 RBIs and 54 runs scored. Halvorson is the first Bulldog to ever earn Pitcher of the Year honors.
Carter Dierdorf of North Greenville was named Freshman of the Year. A true utility player for the Crusaders who played first base, outfield and pitcher this season, Dierdorf ranked in the top-20 in average this season at .356 in 23 conference games. The Bradenton, Florida native also scored 20 times, drove in 18 and was 3-for-4 on the bases for the regular season conference champions. This is the fifth time North Greenville has had the Freshman of the Year with the last being Pat Monteith in 2021.
There was a tie for Coach of the Year as both Keith Gorman of Barton and Landon Powell of North Greenville shared the award. This is the first honor in four seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs for Gorman who led Barton to a 29-18 overall record and a 20-10 mark in league play and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. In his ninth season leading the Crusaders, Powell earned the award for the second straight season after leading North Greenville to a second straight Conference Carolinas regular season title with a 44-6 overall record and a 26-4 mark in conference play.
2023 Conference Carolinas Baseball All-Conference
Player of the Year
Dale Francis, Jr., Erskine
Pitcher of the Year
Tanner Halvorson, Barton
Freshman of the Year
Carter Dierdorf, North Greenville
Coaches of the Year
Keith Gorman, Barton
Landon Powell, North Greenville
First Team
C - Garrett Browder, Belmont Abbey
1B - Dale Francis, Jr., Erskine
2B - Ashby Smith, Erskine
3B - Thomas Collins, Emmanuel
SS - Ryan McIsaac, Barton
OF - Marek Chlup, North Greenville
OF - Christian Jayne, UNC Pembroke
OF - Pat Monteith, North Greenville
OF - Will Hardee, Francis Marion
DH - Christian Rivera, Erskine
P - Tanner Halvorson, Barton
P - Reece Fields, North Greenville
P - Erik Johnson, Mount Olive
P - Drew Moore, King
RP - Michael Rodriguez, North Greenville
RP - Johnny Hummel, Erskine
UTL - Jack Casbarro, Mount Olive
Second Team
C - John Michael Faile, North Greenville
1B - Ben Ferguson, Belmont Abbey
2B - Bryce Roddey, North Greenville
2B - Patrick Taylor, Belmont Abbey
3B - Cory Bivins, North Greenville
3B - Cooper George, Mount Olive
SS - Jalen Vasquez, North Greenville
OF - Armando Becerra, Erskine
OF - Dylan Jeffries, Mount Olive
OF - Tariq Bacon, Erskine
OF - Vito Patierno, Mount Olive
DH - Carter Dierdorf, North Greenville
P - Jonathan Jacobs, UNC Pembroke
P - Trent Harris, UNC Pembroke
P - Alex Sniffen, Belmont Abbey
P - Noah Takac, North Greenville
RP - Nate Roof, North Greenville
RP - Tyler Mayfield, Emmanuel
UTL - David Lewis, North Greenville
All-Defensive Team
C - John Michael Faile, North Greenville
1B - Ben Ferguson, Belmont Abbey
2B - Jack Casbarro, Mount Olive
3B - Cooper George, Mount Olive
SS - Ryan McIsaac, Barton
LF - Vito Patierno, Mount Olive
CF - Dylan Jeffries, Mount Olive
RF - Will Hardee, Francis Marion
P - Robbie Jordan, Francis Marion
UTL - Will Hood, UNC Pembroke