VALDOSTA, Ga. - Two Valdosta State baseball standouts were honored on Tuesday, as
Dalton Murray and
Hunter Jones appeared on the list of Gulf South Conference First Team All-GSC student-athletes for the 2017 season.
The honorees, which were chosen in a poll of the coaches throughout the Gulf South Conference, Murray appeared after a season in which the junior ranked among the top three hitters in the league. His batting average of .385 placed him third in the conference, and he ranked among the GSC's top ten in slugging percentage (.608, 7th), on base percentage (.454, 5th), RBI's (43, 8th), doubles (13, 8th), and sacrifice flies (4, 9th).
After transferring in from St. John's River Community College for the 2017 season, Jones quickly established himself as one of top hurlers in the South Region. The junior righty pitched better and better as the season progressed, and he finished the regular season with a sub-3.0 ERA. His seven wins placed him among the top five winningest pitchers in the Gulf South Conference, and 74 strikeouts ranked him sixth in league.
Next up for the Blazers, postseason play begins in the Gulf South Conference Tournament against the Union Bulldogs on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. EST. The tournament is scheduled to be played in Cleveland, Miss., and full coverage of the Blazers' progress throughout the tournament can be found right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
The full list of All-Conference honorees is listed below, and the GSC's official announcement can be read
HERE.
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| DH |
Brian Lane |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Spanish Fort, Ala. |
| C |
Nathan Wierzgac |
Lee |
Sr. |
Northville, Mich. |
| 1B |
Zack Shannon |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 2B |
Grant Barber |
Mississippi College |
Fr. |
Mobile, Ala. |
| 2B |
Emil Ellis |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Ridgeland, Miss. |
| 3B |
Nolen Milton |
Union |
So. |
Clarksville, Tenn. |
| 3B |
Hunter Wilson |
Mississippi College |
Jr. |
Olive Branch, Miss. |
| SS |
Tanner Burns |
UAH |
Jr. |
Harvest, Ala. |
| OF |
Clay Casey |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Melbourne, Fla. |
| OF |
Nick Delgado ^* |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
Pompano Beach, Fla. |
| OF |
Dalton Murray |
Valdosta State |
Jr. |
Okeechobee, Fla. |
| OF |
Drake Tucker |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Florence, Ala. |
| SP |
Seth Birdsong |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Brownsville, Tenn. |
| SP |
Hunter Jones |
Valdosta State |
Jr. |
Palatka, Fla. |
| SP |
Tyler Joyner |
North Alabama |
Jr. |
East Brewton, Ala. |
| SP |
Will Myers |
UAH |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Miss. |
| RP |
Zach Osbon |
Delta State |
Sr. |
Monroe, La. |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| DH |
Luke Phillips |
West Alabama |
Fr. |
Saraland, Ala. |
| C |
AJ Walden ^ |
UAH |
Jr. |
Albertville, Ala. |
| 1B |
Kyle Hubbuch |
North Alabama |
Jr. |
Mount Juliet, Tenn. |
| 2B |
Dylan Little ^ |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
Semmes, Ala. |
| 3B |
Davis Elliott |
North Alabama |
So. |
Brentwood, Tenn. |
| SS |
Joel Murphy |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
Mandeville, La. |
| OF |
Casey Echols |
Mississippi College |
Sr. |
Braxton, Miss. |
| OF |
Ladeavon Matthews |
West Florida |
Sr. |
Douglasville, Ga. |
| OF |
Kyle Smith |
Mississippi College |
So. |
Petal, Miss. |
| OF |
Blaze Vazquez |
Shorter |
Sr. |
Naples, Fla. |
| SP |
Corey Beard |
Delta State |
Sr. |
Jefferson City, Mo. |
| SP |
JR Miller |
Union |
So. |
Searcy, Ark. |
| SP |
Art Vidrio ^ |
Lee |
Sr. |
Orange, Calif. |
| SP |
Cole Waites |
West Alabama |
Fr. |
Lawrenceville, Ga. |
| RP |
Kit Larson |
Lee |
Sr. |
Mill Valley, Calif. |
* Indicates previous First Team All-GSC selection
^ Indicates previous Second Team All-GSC selection
Player of the Year: Zack Shannon, Delta State
Pitcher of the Year: Tyler Joyner, North Alabama
Freshman of the Year: Luke Phillips, West Alabama
Coach of the Year: Mike Kinnison, Delta State
