CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 01: Vance Honeycutt #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels runs to second base against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the ninth inning at Boshamer Stadium on April 01, 2022 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
UNC Baseball: Vance Honeycutt named ACC Defensive Player of the Year
UNC baseball star centerfielder Vance Honeycutt has become the first player in program history to earn this conference honor.
On Monday, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced its annual awards for the 2023 regular season.
Among the selections is none other than UNC baseball star centerfielder Vance Honeycutt, who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Congratulations to Vance on being the first Tar Heel named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and also being selected third-team All-ACC. pic.twitter.com/Dv4v7eiOmr
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 22, 2023
Honeycutt becomes the first Diamond Heel to receive the award, one that was first awarded in 2017. Along with being tabbed as the conference’s best defensive player, Honeycutt also earned third-team All-ACC Honors.
2023 ACC Baseball Players of the Year ⚾️⬇️
⭐️ Player: Kyle Teel, @UVABaseball
⭐️ Pitcher: Rhett Lowder, @WakeBaseball
⭐️ Defense: Vance Honeycutt, @DiamondHeels
⭐️ Freshman: Cam Cannarella, @ClemsonBaseball
⭐️ Coach: Tom Walter, @WakeBaseball📰 https://t.co/y1QfG0u712 pic.twitter.com/N8eJevA5H3
— ACC Baseball (@ACCBaseball) May 22, 2023
The Salisbury, North Carolina native is a human highlight reel, as he’s patrolled center field in each of the past two seasons for the Diamond Heels. He is coming off a regular season in which he posted a .986 fielding percentage while recording 141 putouts.
Do it, Vance! The numbers on this catch are silly😳
Catch Probability: 5%
Route Efficiency: 98%
Reaction Time: 0.9s
Distance Covered: 80 ft
Top Speed: 30.5 ft/s pic.twitter.com/1PaFx1WUKH— UNC Baseball Analytics (@UNCAnalytics) April 30, 2023
His offensive numbers took a hit from his stellar freshman season, but a lot of that should be credited to teams pitching around him. Heading into his sophomore season, Honeycutt wasn’t sneaking up on anyone.
Only a sophomore, Honeycutt has been a huge part of the UNC baseball program’s success since he arrived in Chapel Hill. Based on what we already know, we should expect to see Honeycutt making a lot more outstanding plays in the field for the Tar Heels.
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