IRVING, Texas (ODUSports.com) - Old Dominion University Baseball second baseman Carter Trice led the way for the Monarchs on the Conference USA all-Conference Team, as he was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year, the league office announced on Tuesday. Trice also led three Monarchs on the C-USA first team, and ODU also featured three more on the second team.
Senior outfielder Kyle Battle and junior starting pitcher Hunter Gregory joined Trice on the first team, while junior shortstop Tommy Bell, junior outfielder Andy Garriola, junior starting pitcher Ryne Moore and junior relief pitcher Jason Hartline were named to the second team. Trice and reliever Noah Dean were added to the all-freshman team.
Trice, a native of Mechanicsville, Virginia, is third in Conference USA and leads all freshman with a .364 batting average. He tops all C-USA freshman in runs scored (50), hits (72), homers (12) and total bases (129) and is second among league freshman with 48 runs batted in. He had 20 multi-hit games on the year and was 5-for-6 with a pair of homers and seven RBI in ODU’s 15-7 win over Marshall. Trice joins Garriola as the only Monarchs to earn Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors.
Battle leads Conference USA and is tied for eighth in the country with 17 home runs and leads C-USA and is second in the nation with 49 walks. Battle has hit five leadoff home runs this season, while 13 of his 17 long balls came in conference play. Battle finished the regular season with 54 RBI from the leadoff spot, placing him fourth in the league. Battle ranks second in C-USA and is fourth in the nation with 64 runs scored.
Gregory finished the regular season with a 7-2 record with a 3.00 ERA in 66 innings pitched. He ranks sixth in C-USA with 79 strikeouts and tied for third with three complete games.
Garriola leads the nation with 65 RBI and is 10th in Conference USA with a .345 batting average. He has hit 11 homers with a team-best 16 doubles and is second on the team with 70 hits. The all-conference honor is the second of Garriola’s ODU career.
Bell has started all 52 games at shortstop this season for the Monarchs and has started 132 consecutive games at the position. He is third on the team with a .335 average, with nine doubles, five triples and five homers. He has been hit by a league-high 15 pitches.
Moore is tied with Gregory for a team-best seven wins and has a 7-1 record with a 3.31 ERA. He tossed a team-high 70.2 innings, striking out 66 batters on the year. The all-conference honor is the second of Moore’s career.
Hartline was ODU’s top arm out of the bullpen this season, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.40 ERA and a pair of saves. Hartline had a team-high 22 appearances, striking out 50 batters and allowing just five walks. His 38.2 innings were the most by an ODU reliever this season.
Dean earned C-USA all-freshman accolades after leading the team with eight saves. In 17 innings, Dean had 37 strikeouts, walked nine and posted a 4.24 ERA. The freshman lefty held opponents to a .194 batting average.
The Monarchs take on Florida Atlantic in the first round of the C-USA Championship on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. The championship is being held at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park on the campus of Louisiana Tech. Ted Alexander will have the call on Money Talk 1310 AM, while the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Conference USA All-Conference Team
Player of the Year
Austin Knight, So., 3B, Charlotte
Pitcher of the Year
Walker Powell, Sr., RHP, Southern Miss
Freshman of the Year
Carter Trice, Fr., 2B, Old Dominion
Defensive Player of the Year
Taylor Young, Sr., 2B, Louisiana Tech
Newcomer of the Year
Austin Knight, So., 3B, Charlotte
Keith LeClair Coach of the Year
Robert Woodard, Charlotte
Assistant Coach of the Year
Christian Ostrander, Southern Miss
