LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The ACC Atlantic Division champion Louisville baseball team had six student-athletes recognized on Monday, as the conference announced its postseason awards.
Reid Detmers was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year, the seventh Cardinal to earn a conference’s top honor for a pitcher, and just the second to do so in the ACC joining Drew Harrington in 2016.
Detmers was also a first team All-ACC selection, one of three starting pitchers on the first team. Alex Binelas, Michael McAvene and Logan Wyatt each earned second team honors, while Tyler Fitzgerald and Justin Lavey were voted to the third team. Binelas was also named to the league’s All-Freshman team.
Louisville’s six all-conference selections were tied with Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech for the most of any program.
It’s been a season chock-full of awards for Detmers, who moved into the Friday night slot for the Cardinals in 2019. The left-hander captured the pitching triple crown this season, leading all ACC qualified pitchers in wins (11), ERA (2.42) and strikeouts (138). The Chatham, Illinois, native has struck out at least 10 in eight starts and has twice taken a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Through 14 regular season starts, Detmers is already tied for fifth on Louisville’s single season list in wins and second for strikeouts, just eight behind former ACC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award winner Brendan McKay.
Detmers was named the D1Baseball Midseason Top Pitcher, Perfect Game Midseason National Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA Pitcher of the Month for March and is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award, the Golden Spikes Award and the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year.
After a slow start to the season, Binelas has exploded onto the scene over the last two months. The freshman had just two hits through his first 19 at-bats with the Cardinals before a 2-for-4 game against Ole Miss on March 13 that featured his first career home run. From then on, Binelas has been a terror at the plate and enters the 2019 ACC Championship with a .327 average, 13 home runs and 52 RBIs. Binelas is the first Louisville freshman to reach double digits in homers since Chris Dominguez did it as a redshirt-freshman in 2007.
McAvene has turned in a breakout campaign of his own in 2019 working as the Cardinals’ closer. The junior had a 4.55 career ERA through his first two seasons in Louisville, but is 2-0 this year with a 1.98 ERA and six saves. The right-hander has pitched 27.1 innings in his 18 appearances, striking out 39 versus just seven walks.
For Wyatt, it’s the second All-ACC selection of his career after picking up first team laurels in 2018. The Louisville native has anchored the middle of the Cardinals’ lineup all season long, hitting .309 with 50 RBIs and a career-high nine home runs. The junior leads the Cardinals with a .481 on-base percentage behind 63 walks through 56 games. The 63 free passes match his total from a season ago and are tied for the third-most in program history.
Fitzgerald has seen his offense steadily improve since he stepped on campus and it has culminated in an outstanding junior season. The Rochester, Illinois, native leads UofL with a .338 batting average, 73 hits, 60 RBIs and 113 total bases, all of which are career highs while starting the first 53 games at shortstop. Fitzgerald also has a career-best seven homers on the year and his RBI total led all ACC shortstops. The junior is a semifinalist for the 2019 Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation’s top shortstop.
Lavey has been the Swiss Army knife on the infield for the Cardinals, starting at three different positions this season. The junior has played nearly flawless defense with just one error to his name in 169 chances. At the plate, Lavey is hitting .281 for the season, but ranks ninth in the ACC with a .347 batting average in conference games. The Kenosha, Wisconsin, native is also the team leader with 18 stolen bases.
Louisville is the top seed in this week’s ACC Baseball Championship at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina. The Cardinals will play 12th-seeded Boston College on Wednesday and eighth-seeded Clemson on Thursday in pool play action, with both games scheduled for 11:00 a.m., ET. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and the championship on Sunday.
2019 All-ACC Baseball Teams
Player of the Year – Bobby Seymour, Wake Forest
Pitcher of the Year – Reid Detmers, Louisville
Defensive Player of the Year – Will Wilson, NC State
Freshman of the Year – Aaron Sabato, North Carolina
Coach of the Year – Danny Hall, Georgia Tech
First Team
C – Kyle McCann, Georgia Tech
C – Patrick Bailey, NC State
1B – Tristin English, Georgia Tech
1B – Bobby Seymour, Wake Forest
2B – Nic Kent, Virginia
3B – Drew Mendoza, Florida State
SS – Will Wilson, NC State
OF – Grayson Byrd, Clemson
OF – Kennie Taylor, Duke
OF – Michael Busch, North Carolina
OF – Chris Lanzilli, Wake Forest
DH/UT – Aaron Sabato, North Carolina
SP – Reid Detmers, Louisville
SP – Connor Thomas, Georgia Tech
SP – Dan Metzdorf, Boston College
RP – J.C. Flowers, Florida State
Second Team
C – Mike Amditis, Miami
1B – Logan Wyatt, Louisville
2B – Jack Owens, Virginia Tech
2B – Cody Morrisette, Boston College
3B – Alex Binelas, Louisville
SS – Logan Davidson, Clemson
OF – Sal Frelick, Boston College
OF – Tyler McDonough, NC State
OF – Baron Radcliff, Georgia Tech
OF – Nico Popa, Pitt
DH/UT – Adrian Del Castillo, Miami
SP – Drew Parrish, Florida State
SP – Davis Sharpe, Clemson
SP – Derek West, Pitt
SP – Brian Van Belle, Miami
RP – Michael McAvene, Louisville
Third Team
C – Kyle Wilkie, Clemson
1B – Evan Edwards, NC State
2B — Justin Lavey, Louisville
3B – Jake Alu, Boston College
3B – Raymond Gil, Miami
SS – Tanner Morris, Virginia
SS – Tyler Fitzgerald, Louisville
OF – J.C. Flowers, Florida State
OF – Connor Perry, Pitt
OF – Reese Albert, Florida State
DH/UT – Michael Guldberg, Georgia Tech
SP – CJ Van Eyk, Florida State
SP – Tyler Baum, North Carolina
SP – Xzavion Curry, Georgia Tech
SP – Mat Clark, Clemson
RP – Carson Spiers, Clemson
All-Freshman Team
OF – Sal Frelick, Boston College
2B – Cody Morrisette, Boston College
SP – Mason Pelio, Boston College
SP/DH – Davis Sharpe, Clemson
SS – Ethan Murray, Duke
DH/UT – Robby Martin, Florida State
3B – Alex Binelas, Louisville
DH/UT – Adrian Del Castillo, Miami
DH/UT – Aaron Sabato, North Carolina
SS – Danny Serretti, North Carolina
OF – Tyler McDonough, NC State
2B – Nic Kent, Virginia
