GREENSBORO, N.C. – Placing among the league's diamond standouts during the 2023 regular season, four Virginia Tech baseball student-athletes have earned year-end, all-conference honors within the ACC, as announced during its postseason awards presentation on Monday.
Junior outfielder Jack Hurley headlined Tech's class of honorees with his selection to the All-ACC First Team while sophomore Carson DeMartini was awarded the designated hitter/utility position on the All-ACC Third Team. Rookie sluggers Brody Donay and Garrett Michel also represented the Hokies on the ACC All-Freshman Team for their respective performances at catcher and first base.
Receiving All-ACC First Team praise for the second consecutive season, Hurley backed his phenomenal 2022 numbers with another campaign that was rich in offensive prowess. The third-year outfielder from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, led the ACC in conference-only slugging percentage (.743) this spring, ending the regular season in a tie for sixth among the league's overall home run leaders (17).
From the heart of the Hokies' lineup, Hurley hit .327, slugged .737 and posted a 1.157 OPS during his 43 regular season appearances, finishing with 15 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 48 RBIs. Errorless while policing the outfield, the 2022 All-American and 2023 Preseason All-American batted 20 points higher against ACC competition (.347), placing sixth in conference-only total bases (75) and among the top 15 in conference-only RBIs (27).
Coming off his Freshman All-American season in 2022, Carson DeMartini consistently shined this season for Virginia Tech with his bat and glove, earning a spot on the All-ACC Third Team. Despite nursing an injury and moving from third base to designated hitter midway through April, the sophomore from Virginia Beach, Virginia, started all but one of Tech's 51 regular season contests, steadying his .326 batting average with his team best, .460 on-base percentage.
As the Hokies' primary cleanup hitter, DeMartini stroked 13 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs while leading the Blacksburg bats in both runs scored (56) and RBIs (54). Additionally, he led Tech and ranked among the top 50 NCAA Division I players in walks (45), swiped nine bases and sported a .947 fielding percentage at the hot corner.
One of the best slugging catchers in the ACC this season, Brody Donay homered 12 times as a rookie to scoop up ACC All-Freshman Team honors behind the plate. The lean, 6-foot-5 machine from Lakeland, Florida, clobbered nine of his 12 home runs against ACC opposition – the most among the league's freshmen – ranking seventh in conference-only slugging percentage (.662) while accounting for 32 runs, 32 hits, four doubles and 38 RBIs overall.
Joining Donay on the ACC All-Freshman Team, first baseman Garrett Michel nearly paced the Hokies in batting average during his first season in Blacksburg, wrapping up the regular season with the team's third highest mark at .335. The Denver, North Carolina, native led the Hokies in doubles (16) while tallying 11 home runs, 48 runs and 45 RBIs, crafting a .459 on-base percentage and a 1.093 OPS across his 49 starts.
With its four all-conference mentions, Virginia Tech will begin its postseason run on Tuesday, May 23, when the 10th-seeded Hokies open the 2023 ACC Baseball Championship against sixth-seeded Boston College. First pitch between the Hokies and the Eagles is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.
