University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Trio of Bulldogs garner All-Big South Honors
05.25.2021 | Baseball
BIG SOUTH RELEASE
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three members of the UNC Asheville baseball team earned All-Big South honors on Tuesday as the league unveiled its 2021 All-Conference teams and annual award winners. Brandon Lankford and Dominic Freeberger each landed a spot on the All-Big South First Team, while Ethan Tressler was named to the conference's All-Academic team.
Lankford ended his Bulldog career by leading the Big South with 17 homers this spring. His 17 home runs, which were all hit vs. Big South pitching, are tied for the fifth-most by any player in the nation this season. In addition to the home runs, the senior third baseman led the Bulldogs in batting average (.341), OPS (1.098), runs (36), RBI (43), total bases (117), slugging percentage (.665), walks (25), on-base percentage, and stolen bases (5).
Historically, Lankford's 17 home runs in 2021 are the second-most ever hit by a Bulldog in a single season trailing only the 19 hit by Brian Shehan in 1989. Lankford did break the program record for career homers in early April that was held by Shehan for nearly three decades. The Mocksville, N.C. native finished his career in Asheville with 52 home runs, which ranks second all-time in Big South history.
Freeberger, who landed his spot on the first team as a utility player, did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs in 2021. The Baltimore native played seven different positions for Asheville this season with lone exceptions being second base and catcher. Freeberger also had a breakout campaign at the plate hitting .333 with six home runs and 30 RBI. Overall, he led Asheville in at-bats (201), hits (67), doubles (12), and triples (3). Freeberger was particularly productive against conference opponents as he led all players with 59 hits in Big South games. Freeberger also appeared in 11 games as a pitcher where he posted a 2-1 record and recorded a pair of saves.
With Lankford and Freeberger earning All-Big South First Team honors, it marks the first time Asheville has had two players land on the league's first team since 2008 when Alan DeRatt and Kevin Weidenbacher accomplished the feat.
Tressler, an All-Academic team member in 2020 as well, appeared in 19 games for the Bulldogs during his final season with the program. Tressler, who recently graduated with a degree in economics, was the lone Asheville pitcher to average more than one strikeout per inning pitched in 2021 (26 strikeouts in 21.2 innings).
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three members of the UNC Asheville baseball team earned All-Big South honors on Tuesday as the league unveiled its 2021 All-Conference teams and annual award winners. Brandon Lankford and Dominic Freeberger each landed a spot on the All-Big South First Team, while Ethan Tressler was named to the conference's All-Academic team.
Lankford ended his Bulldog career by leading the Big South with 17 homers this spring. His 17 home runs, which were all hit vs. Big South pitching, are tied for the fifth-most by any player in the nation this season. In addition to the home runs, the senior third baseman led the Bulldogs in batting average (.341), OPS (1.098), runs (36), RBI (43), total bases (117), slugging percentage (.665), walks (25), on-base percentage, and stolen bases (5).
Historically, Lankford's 17 home runs in 2021 are the second-most ever hit by a Bulldog in a single season trailing only the 19 hit by Brian Shehan in 1989. Lankford did break the program record for career homers in early April that was held by Shehan for nearly three decades. The Mocksville, N.C. native finished his career in Asheville with 52 home runs, which ranks second all-time in Big South history.
Freeberger, who landed his spot on the first team as a utility player, did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs in 2021. The Baltimore native played seven different positions for Asheville this season with lone exceptions being second base and catcher. Freeberger also had a breakout campaign at the plate hitting .333 with six home runs and 30 RBI. Overall, he led Asheville in at-bats (201), hits (67), doubles (12), and triples (3). Freeberger was particularly productive against conference opponents as he led all players with 59 hits in Big South games. Freeberger also appeared in 11 games as a pitcher where he posted a 2-1 record and recorded a pair of saves.
With Lankford and Freeberger earning All-Big South First Team honors, it marks the first time Asheville has had two players land on the league's first team since 2008 when Alan DeRatt and Kevin Weidenbacher accomplished the feat.
Tressler, an All-Academic team member in 2020 as well, appeared in 19 games for the Bulldogs during his final season with the program. Tressler, who recently graduated with a degree in economics, was the lone Asheville pitcher to average more than one strikeout per inning pitched in 2021 (26 strikeouts in 21.2 innings).
Players Mentioned
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