ATLANTA, Ga. – Lipscomb Baseball landed eight spots on ASUN All-Conference teams, Coach of the Year, and Pitcher of the Year honors, the league announced Monday. Head coach Jeff Forehand was named ASUN Coach of the Year for the second straight season, while Logan Van Treeck was awarded Pitcher of the Year honors and was a First Team All-Conference selection. Austin Kelly joined Van Treeck on the first team. Hayden Frank, Trace Willhoite, and Caleb Ketchup earned spots on the ASUN Second team, while Alex Vergara, Braydon Tucker, and Noah Thompson were placed on the third team. Willhoite and Mason Lundgrin also made the All-Academic team.
After becoming the first coach in Lipscomb program history to earn the award last season, Coach Forehand brought home back-to-back ASUN Coach of the Year honors, winning the superlative again this season. He led the Bisons to a 33-22 regular season record and a 23-7 mark in conference play, the best ASUN record in program history, as the Bisons were crowned 2023 regular season champions after being picked to finish fourth in the preseason. The Bisons won every ASUN series and went a perfect 7-0 in series on their home field.
Van Treeck had a stand-out junior campaign, earning the 2023 ASUN Pitcher of the Year. The Lincoln, Nebraska native was dominated on the mound all season and stamped himself of the Bisons' Friday ace, finishing in the top-15 nationally in WHIP (2nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd), and walks allowed per nine innings (11th). The lefty tossed for 77.0 innings this season, with 63.1 coming in ASUN action. Van Treeck finished with the second lowest ERA in conference play at 2.70. He also finished with the second-most strikeouts of any pitcher overall in the conference with 97. Van Treeck was named ASUN Pitcher of the Week twice for his two complete-game efforts against Liberty and Kennesaw State.
Kelly has had an immediate impacted in his first year with the Bisons, splitting time at catcher and as a designated hitter this season. The Leland, Mississippi native has quickly become one of the best power hiter not only in program history but in the conference. Kelly broke the single-season home run record a few weeks back finished wtih 20 bombs which puts him at third in the league overall. 13 of those came in league play, tied for the most of any player in the ASUN. Kelly finished the regular season second on the team in batting average (.303), first in slugging percentage (.676), and first in total bases (125). His numbers increase in conference play, finishing with a .347 batting average, .806 slugging percentage, and 41 run batted in during that stretch.
Frank developed into the Bisons' shutdown closer, which earned him recognition around the league and a spot on the ASUN second-team all-conference list. The sophomore lefty from Riceville, Tennessee, had the lowest earned run average on the team (1.23) while making 22 appearances, all but one in relief, for 36.2 total innings pitched. Frank had three wins on the season and four saves which led the team.
Willhoite leads the Bisons' in multiple categories this season, including batting average (.314), hits (60), runs batted in (62), on-base percentage (.447), and doubles (16). Willhoite has also been a mainstay at third base, being one of the three players to start in every game this season. The sophomore from Georgetown, Kentucky, was named ASUN Player of the Week once this season and is currently Lipscomb's career home run leader.
Ketchup had another impactful year in his second go around with the program. The Atlanta, Georgia native added a second-team all-conference selection to his already impressive resume. Ketchup led the team in stolen bases with 25 this season and was one of three players to start in every game. The electric shortstop, had a solid year at the plate with a .256 batting average, 57 hits, 39 runs batted in, and 14 home runs. Ketchup made countless eye-opening plays at short, finishing with 85 puts outs, 136 assists, and a fielding percentage of .932.
In his first season with the Bisons, Vergara was a steady force at center field for Lipscomb and batted in the two hole, earning him a spot on the ASUN third team all-conference list. Vergara finished among the team leaders in virtually every offensive category, including fourth in batting average (.275), third in slugging percentage (.583), second in runs scored (52), fourth in hits (56), and second in home runs (17). The Colleyville, Texas native had just one error in the outfield with 125 putouts.
Braydon Tucker cemented himself as Lipscomb's Saturday starter for the entirety of the season, pitching in 14 games with 14 starts and throwing a team-high 80.1 innings. The Brazil, Indiana native finished the regular season a perfect 6-0. The right-hander ended with the seventh-best earned run average among starters in the conference and finished third in strikeouts (66) during conference action.
Thompson made 15 appearances with 12 starts on the year, throwing for 64.0 innings, ending with a 3.52 earned run average, eighth in the league. The Louisville, Kentucky native had 54 strikeouts this season and tossed two complete games, which granted him ASUN Player of the Week twice earlier in the year.
Lipscomb will begin its quest for the ASUN Tournament Championship Tuesday, May 23, at 9 a.m. CT with a game against No. 3 Liberty. Pool play will continue with guaranteed games on Wednesday, May 25, and Thursday, May 26, against No. 2 FGCU and No. 4 Jacksonville, respectively.
