Baseball features five All-Conference selections
MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive baseball program featured five selections on the All-Conference Carolinas Teams announced by the league office on May 2, highlighted by seniors Eric Johnson and Jack Casbarro earning first-team accolades.
The Trojans also placed three players on the second team with sophomore third baseman Cooper George, junior outfielder Dylan Jeffries and junior outfielder Vito Patierno all earning the honor. Additionally, Casbarro, George, Jeffries and Patierno were voted to the all-defensive team.
Johnson receives first-team all-conference laurels for the first time in his career after a breakout season on the mound. In 11 starts, he holds a 5-2 record in 60 1/3 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .202 batting average. Johnson leads the Conference Carolinas with only 6.71 hits allowed per nine innings while sitting fourth with 65 strikeouts. He also has the fourth-best ERA (2.83) in the conference and registered 9.70 strikeouts per nine innings.
Casbarro earned his third all-conference nod with a second straight appearance on the first-team. The Mount Olive native has started all 46 games for the Trojans while registering a .296 batting average with 56 hits, 13 doubles, six homers, 39 RBI and 56 runs scored. Casbarro has tallied 15 multi-hit games, including six contests with at least three hits. He ranked third in the Conference Carolinas with 28 stolen bases and sits sixth in the league in runs scored. Defensively, he recorded a .967 fielding percentage with 109 assists while being involved in 17 double plays this season.
George registered his first All-Conference selection. In 45 starts this year, he delivered a .347 batting average, the third-best on the team, with 31 RBI and 37 runs scored. George has produced 17 multi-hit performances while striking out just 12 times in 170 plate appearances. He has split time between three positions this season with 17 starts at first and third base while batting primarily in the middle of the order. George holds a .973 fielding percentage with 158 put outs while turning 10 doubles plays.
Following a breakout junior campaign, Jeffries was tabbed to the all-conference team for the first time in his career. He ranks among the top half of the league in several offensive categories while serving as the team’s leadoff hitter down the stretch of the season. Jeffries holds a .333 batting average and paces the team with nine homers and 14 doubles in 46 starts. He has registered 17 multi-hit games while ranking in the top-10 in the conference in doubles, walks (31), runs scored (56) and stolen bases (17). Defensively, Jeffries boasts a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 118 putouts.
Patierno garnered his third nod to the all-conference teams with his second appearance on the second team in his career at Mount Olive. He paces the team with 18 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI performances with 45 starts in left field. He leads the team with 65 hits this year while tallying three homers, 13 doubles, 43 RBI and 48 runs scored with a .371 batting average. Patierno has batted the entire year at No. 2 in the lineup and ranks the top 10 in the conference in hits, walks and stolen bases (18). He recorded a .983 fielding percentage with just one error and 58 putouts.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
