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.

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.

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.

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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