VALDOSTA, Ga. - For the second time this month, both Dalton Murray and Hunter Jones were honored for their 2017 efforts as members of the Valdosta State baseball team. This week, their recognition extended to the South Region, as the pair were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-Region Second Team.

Among the honorees, Murray appeared after a season in which the junior ranked among the top hitters in the league. His batting average of .390 placed him third in the conference, and he ranked among the GSC's top ten in slugging percentage (.597, 8th), on base percentage (.460, 5th), RBI's (44, 8th), and sacrifice flies (4, 9th). Earlier this month, Murray was named First Team All-GSC.

Jones established himself as one of top hurlers in the South Region in 2017 and was recognized as such this week, thanks to a sub-3.0 ERA. His seven wins placed him among the top five winningest pitchers in the Gulf South Conference, and 77 strikeouts ranked him sixth in league. The award for Jones comes on the heels of a First Team All-GSC honor two weeks ago.

Murray and Jones will lead the Blazers into their first matchup of the 2017 NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. Valdosta State will open up the double-elimination tournament against Florida Southern in Cleveland, Miss., and live coverage of the event can be found right here at www.vstateblazers.com.

The full list of All-Region honorees is listed below.

2017 NCBWA Division II All-South Region First-Team 

Starting Pitcher: Tyler Joyner, Jr. North Alabama 

Starting Pitcher: David Lebron, Jr. Tampa, Fla. 

Starting Pitcher: Jake Walsh, Jr. Florida Southern 

Relief Pitcher: Cameron Hanes, Sr. Florida Southern 

Catcher: Nathan Wierzgac, Sr. Lee, Tenn. 

First Base: Zack Shannon, Jr. Delta State, Miss. 

Second Base: Jancarlos Cintron, Sr. Nova Southeastern, Fla. 

Third Base: Tyler Curtis, Sr. Lynn, Fla. 

Shortstop: Kevin Santa, Sr. Tampa, Fla. 

Outfield: Clay Casey, Jr. Delta State, Miss. 

Outfield: Nick Delgado, Sr. West Alabama 

Outfield: Mitch Reeves, Sr. Florida Southern $ 

Designated Hitter: Vin Cosenzo, Sr. Tampa, Fla. 

Utility Player: Dylan Harris, Jr. Saint Leo, Fla. 

2017 NCBWA Division II All-South Region Second-Team 

Starting Pitcher: Seth Birdsong, Jr. Delta State, Miss. 

Starting Pitcher: Hunter Jones, Jr. Valdosta State, Ga. 

Starting Pitcher: Will Myers, Sr. Alabama Huntsville 

Relief Pitcher: Zach Osbon, Sr. Delta State, Miss. 

Catcher: Austin Mauer, Jr. Florida Southern 

First Base: J.D. Osborne, Sr. Tampa, Fla. 

Second Base: Miguel Ceballos, Sr. Lynn, Fla. 

Third Base: Nolten Milton, So. Union, Tenn. 

Shortstop: Armando Valentin, Jr. Benedict, S.C. 

Outfield: Julian Abreu, Sr. Barry, Fla. 

Outfield: Peter Nicoletto, Sr. Rollins, Fla. 

Outfield: Andrew McCoy, Jr. Benedict, S.C. 

Designated Hitter: Brian Lane, Jr. Delta State, Miss. 

Utility Player: Dalton Murray, Jr. Valdosta State, Ga. 

2017 NCBWA Division II All-South Region Honorable Mention 

Relief Pitcher: Caleb Jakes, Jr. Rollins, Fla. 

Catcher: Chris Corbett, Sr. Rollins, Fla. 

Shortstop: Tanner Burns, Jr. Alabama Huntsville 

Shortstop: Pat Dorian, Jr. Lynn, Fla. 

Outfield: Cody Burgess, Jr. Florida Southern 

Outfield: Drake Tucker, Sr. North Alabama 

Designated Hitter: Nick Capra, Sr. Florida Tech 

Designated Hitter: Reeves Brashear, Jr. Miles, Ala. 

$ 2016 NCBWA All-South Region Second-Team


South Region Player of the Year: Zack Shannon, Delta State, Miss. 

South Region Pitcher of the Year: Jake Walsh, Florida Southern 

South Region Coach of the Year: Mike Kinnison, Delta State, Miss.