VIDEO: Brett Langhorne Interview
ROCK HILL, S.C. – A pair of seniors were listed on the South Atlantic Conference's preseason all-conference units announced Friday afternoon as third baseman Brett Langhorne was on the top unit and right-hander pitcher Will Gardner picked up a nod on the second squad.
"They have to do what they do," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said of his two seniors. "There is nothing extra on their shoulders. They have to carry the burden in their workouts, in the locker room and on campus. All they have to do is make sure they are being great servants. As far as on the field, they don't have to do anything different than what they are capable of doing. Be the best version of yourself."
Six of the 10 teams in the league had a player represented on the top unit and only Lenoir-Rhyne did not place a player on either of the teams.
Langhorne was an honorable mention All-SAC pick in 2017 and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. The Mechiancsville, Va. native tied for the team lead in stolen bases with 17 hitting .323 with six long balls and 35 RBIs.
After February, he hit .387 and notched 15 multi-hit games on the season with eight multi-RBI efforts. The senior belted a three-run homer versus Anderson on March 10, 2017 going 4-for-8 with 5 RBIs in the doubleheader. Langhorne posted a 10-game hitting streak from March 8 to March 25 going 13-for-36 with a homer, 10 RBIs, three doubles, seven runs scored and four stolen bases.
"I feel good right now," Langhorne said. "My body feels good so I'm hoping to move into this season with the same momentum from last season. I am trying to stay consistent and do everything well again. I am out training with coach getting ground balls and hitting. I am just trying to remain calm and go into the season with high expectations and lead us to a good season."
The Tennessee transfer posted the highest average of any player to get at least 15 at-bats in the SAC Tournament field going 12-for-22, a .545 clip, with a double, a triple, four runs knocked in and seven runs scored. The slick fielder hit the game-winning double against sixth-seeded Coker on single-elimination Thursday in the top of the eighth inning and registered five multi-hit games including a pair of three-hit efforts.
A workhorse on the rubber a season ago, Gardner earned a spot on the all-tournament team. The righty led the team in wins with six, innings pitched with 83 2/3, strikeouts with 67, and complete games with five. The hurler fired five complete games on the year to join a contingent of six C-N players in history with a quintet of complete games, good for the fifth-most in the program's Division II era.
"We think [he] is an ultra-competitive kid," Griffin said. "It's not just on the mound but in his workouts and his work ethic. I think that translates to the other guys very well. You need that type of guy that is going to touch the line, run up the hill and finish everything. Will has that type of mindset."
In the conference championships, he threw 247 pitches across two starts registering a 1-1 record with a 1.80 earned run average with 10 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched as opponents hit just .220 against the right-hander.
Among his top efforts, Gardner posted a season-high nine punch outs at Catawba on Feb. 24. He went the distance in a win over Wingate on April 15 allowing just one run on seven hits with eight strikeouts. The flamethrower allowed three runs, two earned on seven hits and two walks while punching out eight batters on April 27 in a win over sixth-seeded Coker.
Every game in 2018 will be broadcast by the Eagle Sports Network as you can watch every home game in high definition and enjoy audio broadcasts of every game during the season on cneagles.com/live with coverage starting 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
2018 SAC Baseball Preseason All-Conference Agate
All-SAC First Team
OF – Luke Setzer, Catawba
OF – Logan Augustine, Lincoln Memorial
OF – Brett Brubaker, Mars Hill
1B – Timmy Wages, Lincoln Memorial
2B – Kyle Smith, Catawba
SS – Tyler Adams, Lincoln Memorial
3B – Brett Langhorne, Carson-Newman
C – Matt Honeycutt, Mars Hill
DH – Ben Herring, Newberry
SP – Hunter Shepherd, Catawba
SP – Zac Brown, Mars Hill
SP – Evan Estridge, Newberry
RP – Griffin Hollifield, Coker
All-SAC Second Team
OF – William Thomas, Anderson
OF – Mason Ewers, Lincoln Memorial
OF – Ty Andrus, Wingate
1B – Chance Bowden, Catawba
2B – Daulton Martin, Tusculum
SS – Jeremy Simpson, Catawba
3B – Christian Stampler, Mars Hill
C – Andrew Llewellyn, Wingate
DH – Bradley Brown, Wingate
SP – Jared Mathewson, Mars Hill
SP – Will Gardner, Carson-Newman
SP – Hunter Hamilton, Wingate
RP – Dominic Morabito, Lincoln Memorial
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