ROCK HILL, S.C. – Five Winthrop baseball student-athletes were named to Big South All-Conference teams as announced by the conference office Tuesday morning. Senior shortstop Mitch Spires was named First-Team All-Conference for the second-straight season, while senior first baseman Tyler Halstead and junior right-hander Nate Pawelczyk each earned Second-Team All-Conference honors. Sophomore pitcher Zach Peek was named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Junior outfielder Hunter Lipscomb represented Winthrop on the All-Academic team.

Spires started all 53 regular season games at shortstop. The team captain led the Eagles in batting average (.325), hits (68), runs scored (39), home runs (7), triples (4), multiple-hit games (19), on-base percentage (.389) and stolen bases (11). He is also second on the squad in RBI and doubles and second in the Big South in total bases (110).  Spires is tied for third in the Big South in conference-only games with 39 hits and sixth with a .371 batting average. His 245 career hits ranks 11th in program history. Spires was also named First-Team All-Conference in 2017 after leading the Eagles in batting average, hits and runs.

Halstead has also played in all 53 regular season games, 49 at first base owning a .995 fielding percentage, and leads this year's squad and the Big South Conference with 15 doubles. Halstead also leads the Eagles with 32 RBI and eight multiple-RBI games. He is second on the team in hits and third in batting average.

Pawelczyk is allowing an opposing batting average of just .225, third in the Big South, and is ranked second in the conference with seven wins. The right-hander is third in the league in innings pitched (82.0) and sixth in strikeouts (72). The junior is 10^th in the league with a 3.95 ERA and third in hits allowed per game. Of only 68 hits the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year has given up this season, just 16 have been for extra bases (12 doubles, four home runs, no triples). A First-Team selection in 2017, the honor marks the second-straight All-Conference season for Pawelczyk.  

Peek leads Winthrop and the Big South in strikeouts (90) and was the first pitcher in the league to surpass the 50 mark. Of the 90 Ks, 26 are looking, good for third in the conference. Peek was named Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week three times this season: career-high 12 strikeouts against Kent State, a complete game shutout against Longwood, and five-hit shutout vs. Asheville. He is second in the league in innings pitched (83.0), fifth in opposing batting average (.232), and eighth in ERA (3.69).

The All-Conference teams are voted by the head coaches, while the All-Academic Team consists of one student-athlete from each institution that meets the academic and athletic criteria and is nominated and selected by the league's sports information directors.
 
2018 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OF - Austen Zente, Sr., High Point
OF - Matthew Barefoot, R-Soph., Campbell
OF - D.J. Artis, Jr., Liberty
INF - Mitch Spires, Sr., Winthrop
INF - Hunter Lee, Sr., High Point
INF - Jonathan White, Jr., Presbyterian
INF - Corey Howard, Jr., Gardner-Webb
C - Daniel Millwee, R-Jr., High Point
UTL - Tre Todd, Jr., Liberty
DH - Jeff Hahs, Sr., Campbell
SP - Allan Winans, R-Sr., Campbell
SP - Austin Ross, R-Sr., Radford
SP - Andrew Gottfried, Jr., High Point
RP - Rion Murrah, Sr., High Point
RP - Logan Bender, R-Fr., Campbell
 
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OF - A.J. Priaulx, Sr., Presbyterian
OF - Chris Clary, Jr., Gardner-Webb
OF - Mickey Dugan, Sr., Gardner-Webb
INF - Christian Jones, Sr., Campbell
INF - Spencer Horwitz, Soph., Radford
INF - Tyler Halstead, Sr., Winthrop
INF - Travis Holt, Fr., High Point
C - Christian Maggio, Fr., Charleston Southern
UTL - Mike Sconzo, Sr., Charleston Southern
DH - Chandler Redmond, Jr., Gardner-Webb
SP - Bradley Hallman, Sr., Gardner-Webb
SP - Nate Pawelczyk, Jr., Winthrop
SP - Michael Horrell, Jr., Campbell
RP - Tyson Messer, Jr., Campbell
RP - Ryan Hedrick, Sr., Presbyterian
 
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE
Zach Peek, Soph., SP, Winthrop
Mason Fox, Jr., OF, Gardner-Webb                        
Tyler Galazin, Jr., INF, Liberty
Sammy Miller, Sr., OF, Longwood
Garret Price, Soph., SP, Liberty
 
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Kyle Mehl, Sr., INF, Campbell
Josh Litchfield, Jr., OF, Charleston Southern
Eric Jones, Jr., 3B, Gardner-Webb
Andrew Gottfried, Jr., RHP, High Point
Zach Clinton, Jr., P Liberty
Zach Potojecki, Sr., RHP, Longwood
AJ Priaulx, Sr., LF, Presbyterian College
Kyle Palmer, R-Sr., LHP, Radford
Jesse Juday, Sr., RHP, UNC Asheville
Hunter Lipscomb, Jr., OF, Winthrop
 
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Austen Zente, OF, Sr., High Point
 
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Allan Winans, RHP, R-Sr., Campbell
 
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Logan Bender, RP, R-Fr., Campbell
 
COACH OF THE YEAR
Justin Haire, Campbell
 
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Josh Litchfield, Jr., OF, Charleston Southern