ATLANTA, Ga. - Five members of the Belhaven Baseball team were recognized with All-Conference honors by the Collegiate Conference of the South on Thursday following the 2023 regular season. Brett Sanchez highlights the group after being named the Pitcher of the Year for the CCS and earning first-team honors. Dawson Albin joins Sanchez on the All-Conference First Team while Nick Lucido and Hunter Estes each landed a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. Chase Kitchens was also recognized as a part of the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Brett Sanchez continued to add to his impressive career honors list as he was named the first ever Pitcher of the Year for the Collegiate Conference of the South as well as a Pitcher on the All-Conference First Team. Sanchez was dominant on the hill for the Blazers this season holding a 1.91 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 10 starts. He finished the regular season 5-2 with 4 complete games and also picked up a save in relief. Across 75.1 innings of work, Sanchez struck out 102 hitters, which propelled him into being Belhaven's all-time strikeout leader, while also limiting hitter's to just a .190 batting average against. 

Dawson Albin joins Sanchez on the All-Conference First Team as a shortstop. Albin had an impressive year for the Blazers, particularly at the plate where he hit .356 across 35 starts and had an .892 OPS which was the second highest mark on the team. Albin finished the regular season with a team-high 11 doubles and joint team-high 3 triples while producing 31 RBI which also topped the team. Perhaps Albin's greatest strength this season was his consistency at the plate. The Louisiana native currently is in the midst of a 24-game hitting streak which marks the longest since Belhaven joined the NCAA Division III level. As the Blazers' shortstop, Albin also recorded 82 assists defensively which was the highest total on the Belhaven team and was involved in a team-leading 13 double plays. 

Hunter Estes landed a spot on the All-Conference Second Team as a first baseman after posting his strongest season with the Blazers' squad. Estes finished the regular season as Belhaven's leading hitter posting a career-high .361 average to go with a stellar .844 OPS. Estes racked up 7 doubles and 26 RBI on the season while helping anchor the top half of the Belhaven lineup. Estes recorded 14 multi-hit games during the regular season showcasing his ability to impact the lineup. At first base, Estes also finished the year with a sparkling .987 fielding percentage across 223 total defensive chances.

Nick Lucido joined Estes on the All-Conference Second Team as a second baseman propelled in large part by a stellar second half of the season. Lucido finished the year hitting .303 at the plate marking the 4th straight year the Blazers' infielder has had a season average above the .300 mark. Lucido had 8 doubles and 21 RBI while starting every game for the Blazers during the regular season. His prowess at the plate was evidenced by strong discipline working 21 walks and 5 hit-by-pitches to just 14 strikeouts. At second base, Lucido trailed only Dawson Albin in assists and double play involvement for the Blazers defense.

Chase Kitchens was the Belhaven representative on the All-Sportsmanship for the CCS. Kitchens hit .217 on the season with a .721 OPS while making 20 starts and 28 appearances for the Blazers behind the plate. While catching for the Blazers, Kitchens caught 4 would be base-stealers and finished the regular season with a stunning .994 fielding percentage. 

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