Three Trojans earn preseason honors
MOUNT OLIVE – A trio of players from the University of Mount Olive baseball program were selected to the preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-Southeast Region Team announced Jan. 26.
Senior second baseman Jack Casbarro, junior third baseman Alden Cottle and junior designated hitter Vito Patierno all received the honor after 14 total players were chosen by the committee. Mount Olive tied North Greenville and Wingate for the most players to receive the preseason accolade.
Casbarro paced the Trojans in multiple categories, as he tallied 77 hits, 15 home runs, 78 runs scored, 33 stolen bases and a .345 batting average while playing all 54 games last season. He recorded 25 multi-hit games, including nine contests with at least three hits. Casbarro also finished second on the team in triples and RBIs in 2022. The Southern Wayne product earned First-Team All-Conference Carolinas, NCBWA First-Team All-Southeast Region honors, D2CCA Second-Team All-Southeast Region status, D2CCA Third-Team All-American laurels and was chosen an ABCA/Rawlings Second-Team All-American.
Cottle, a Bertie County High School product, started all 54 games last year while leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference in RBIs with 61. He totaled 18 multi-hit contests on a .344 batting average with five home runs. Cottle also tied for third on the team with 47 runs scored and 67 hits. He was selected ABCA/Rawlings Second-Team All-Southeast Region and Second-Team All-Conference Carolinas last year.
Patierno, out of Heritage High School in Raleigh, also started all 54 games last season while batting second in the lineup. He ranked third in the league with a team-leading 19 doubles and tallied 22 multi-hit games. Patierno finished the year with 72 hits and 64 runs scored on a .344 batting average while ranking third on the team with 48 RBIs. He received ABCA/Rawlings Second-Team All-Southeast Region and Second-Team All-Conference Carolinas status.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
