Cozart, Groover III Earn All-ACC Honors, Three Named to All-Freshman Team
5/22/2023 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
Fritton, Peebles & Serrano Named All-Freshman Honorees
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart and junior third baseman LuJames Groover III have been named Second Team and Third Team All-ACC selections, respectively, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
Cozart earns his first all-conference honor, while Groover III notches his second straight season with All-ACC accolades. Groover III earned Second Team All-ACC honors in his first season with the Pack in 2022 and earned All-Conference USA accolades at Charlotte in 2021.
Dominic Fritton, Cannon Peebles and Eli Serrano III all were tabbed ACC All-Freshman Team honorees, tying a program high of three Wolfpack student-athletes named to the All-Freshman Team previously set in 2017.
Jacob Cozart | So. | C | Second Team All-ACC
Cozart earned Second Team All-ACC honors after ranking second among all NC State hitters in slugging percentage (.589), doubles (13), triples (two), total bases (103), tied for second in hits (56) and third with a .320 batting average. The High Point native led all Wolfpack hitters with 25 RBI, 21 runs scored, 62 total bases and 16 extra-base hits in ACC play.
Cozart ranked 17th and 19th, respectively, among all ACC hitters in RBI (25) and slugging percentage (.579) in conference play. He ranked first among all ACC catchers with two triples and fourth with 41 RBI, 103 total bases, 10 homers and 56 hits.
Defensively, Cozart tied for fifth in the league with nine runners thrown out on the basepaths and fifth alone with 417 putouts.
On April 5, Cozart was one of just 45 student-athletes featured on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. Cozart's stellar sophomore season also helped him earn an invite to the 2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer.
LuJames Groover III | Jr. | 3B | Third Team All-ACC
Groover III earned Third Team All-ACC honors after leading all NC State hitters with 68 hits, 108 total bases, 42 runs scored and five sacrifice flies. The third baseman also ranked second among Wolfpack batters with a .327 batting average and 34 walks and tied for second on the team with 10 home runs and 45 RBI.
Groover III tallied a team-high 21 multi-hit games and tied with Cozart for the second most multi-RBI games this season (12). His 33-game reached-base streak and 13-game hitting streak earlier this season both ranked as team highs.
Groover III ranked second among all ACC third basemen with 68 hits and tied for 18th in the league among all hitters in the same category. His 0.46 strikeouts per game ranked as the sixth-lowest rate in the ACC. The junior's four sacrifice flies in ACC play tied for second in the league.
The two-time All-ACC performer earned ACC Player of the Week honors and Perfect Game National Player of the Week honors on April 17.
Dominic Fritton | Fr. | SP | ACC All-Freshman Team
Fritton had a breakout freshman season for the Wolfpack, ranking second in the ACC among qualifying pitchers with a .206 opposing batting average and 6.93 hits allowed per game, third with just 47 hits allowed and sixth with a 3.39 ERA. In ACC play, Fritton tied for fourth in the league with 19 batters struck out looking and fifth with 11.45 strikeouts per game.
The freshman left-hander allowed just 17 extra-base hits over 61 innings pitched with a 73-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Fritton's 73 strikeouts ranked second on the team, while his three saves tied for a team high.
Fritton ranked first in the ACC and sixth nationally among qualifying freshman pitchers with 10.77 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.15 WHIP. He also ranked first in the league and eighth nationally among freshman pitchers with a 3.39 ERA.
Fritton's standout freshman season helped him earn an invite to the 2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer.
Cannon Peebles | Fr. | C | ACC All-Freshman Team
Peebles shined both in the batter's box and behind the plate during his freshman season, leading all NC State hitters with a .350 batting average, a .750 slugging percentage, 12 home runs and 47 RBI. Defensively, he finished the year with a 1.000 fielding percentage, 77 putouts and seven assists.
The Ashland, Virginia native ranked third nationally among qualifying freshman hitters with a .750 slugging percentage and 26th nationally among all hitters in the same category. Peebles ranked first among freshman hitters in the ACC with a .463 on-base percentage and 1.15 RBI per game. His 1.15 RBI per game also ranked ninth nationally among freshman batters.
The freshman also turned in one of the best single-game performances in NC State history in a win over NJIT on March 4, going 6-for-6 with 10 RBI and 15 total bases, all of which rank as single-game highs in the ACC this season. This standout performance helped him earn Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week honors on March 6 and 7, respectively.
Peebles was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week on Monday morning for the league's final weekly award honor of the 2023 season.
Eli Serrano III | Fr. | 1B | ACC All-Freshman Team
Serrano III exceled at the plate and defensively in his first collegiate season, appearing in 48 games with 44 starts at first base. The Fuquay-Varina native batted .295 with 12 doubles, seven homers, 30 RBI, 82 total bases and 36 runs scored. Defensively, he logged 347 putouts, 39 assists and a .987 fielding percentage.
Serrano III ranked fourth on the NC State roster with 23 walks and tied for fifth on the team with 14 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI performances. His 17-game reached-base streak earlier this season also ranked fifth among all Wolfpack hitters.
The Wolfpack's first baseman tied for the team lead with eight doubles in ACC play and ranked fourth in ACC play with 48 total bases.
UP NEXT
The Wolfpack will open the pool play portion of the ACC Baseball Championship on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against fifth-seeded Duke in Durham. The ninth-seeded Pack will then face fourth-seeded Miami on Thursday night at 7 p.m. to close out play in Pool D. Both games will be televised on ACC Network.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
Cozart earns his first all-conference honor, while Groover III notches his second straight season with All-ACC accolades. Groover III earned Second Team All-ACC honors in his first season with the Pack in 2022 and earned All-Conference USA accolades at Charlotte in 2021.
Dominic Fritton, Cannon Peebles and Eli Serrano III all were tabbed ACC All-Freshman Team honorees, tying a program high of three Wolfpack student-athletes named to the All-Freshman Team previously set in 2017.
Jacob Cozart | So. | C | Second Team All-ACC
Cozart earned Second Team All-ACC honors after ranking second among all NC State hitters in slugging percentage (.589), doubles (13), triples (two), total bases (103), tied for second in hits (56) and third with a .320 batting average. The High Point native led all Wolfpack hitters with 25 RBI, 21 runs scored, 62 total bases and 16 extra-base hits in ACC play.
Cozart ranked 17th and 19th, respectively, among all ACC hitters in RBI (25) and slugging percentage (.579) in conference play. He ranked first among all ACC catchers with two triples and fourth with 41 RBI, 103 total bases, 10 homers and 56 hits.
Defensively, Cozart tied for fifth in the league with nine runners thrown out on the basepaths and fifth alone with 417 putouts.
On April 5, Cozart was one of just 45 student-athletes featured on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. Cozart's stellar sophomore season also helped him earn an invite to the 2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer.
LuJames Groover III | Jr. | 3B | Third Team All-ACC
Groover III earned Third Team All-ACC honors after leading all NC State hitters with 68 hits, 108 total bases, 42 runs scored and five sacrifice flies. The third baseman also ranked second among Wolfpack batters with a .327 batting average and 34 walks and tied for second on the team with 10 home runs and 45 RBI.
Groover III tallied a team-high 21 multi-hit games and tied with Cozart for the second most multi-RBI games this season (12). His 33-game reached-base streak and 13-game hitting streak earlier this season both ranked as team highs.
Groover III ranked second among all ACC third basemen with 68 hits and tied for 18th in the league among all hitters in the same category. His 0.46 strikeouts per game ranked as the sixth-lowest rate in the ACC. The junior's four sacrifice flies in ACC play tied for second in the league.
The two-time All-ACC performer earned ACC Player of the Week honors and Perfect Game National Player of the Week honors on April 17.
Dominic Fritton | Fr. | SP | ACC All-Freshman Team
Fritton had a breakout freshman season for the Wolfpack, ranking second in the ACC among qualifying pitchers with a .206 opposing batting average and 6.93 hits allowed per game, third with just 47 hits allowed and sixth with a 3.39 ERA. In ACC play, Fritton tied for fourth in the league with 19 batters struck out looking and fifth with 11.45 strikeouts per game.
The freshman left-hander allowed just 17 extra-base hits over 61 innings pitched with a 73-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Fritton's 73 strikeouts ranked second on the team, while his three saves tied for a team high.
Fritton ranked first in the ACC and sixth nationally among qualifying freshman pitchers with 10.77 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.15 WHIP. He also ranked first in the league and eighth nationally among freshman pitchers with a 3.39 ERA.
Fritton's standout freshman season helped him earn an invite to the 2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer.
Cannon Peebles | Fr. | C | ACC All-Freshman Team
Peebles shined both in the batter's box and behind the plate during his freshman season, leading all NC State hitters with a .350 batting average, a .750 slugging percentage, 12 home runs and 47 RBI. Defensively, he finished the year with a 1.000 fielding percentage, 77 putouts and seven assists.
The Ashland, Virginia native ranked third nationally among qualifying freshman hitters with a .750 slugging percentage and 26th nationally among all hitters in the same category. Peebles ranked first among freshman hitters in the ACC with a .463 on-base percentage and 1.15 RBI per game. His 1.15 RBI per game also ranked ninth nationally among freshman batters.
The freshman also turned in one of the best single-game performances in NC State history in a win over NJIT on March 4, going 6-for-6 with 10 RBI and 15 total bases, all of which rank as single-game highs in the ACC this season. This standout performance helped him earn Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week honors on March 6 and 7, respectively.
Peebles was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week on Monday morning for the league's final weekly award honor of the 2023 season.
Eli Serrano III | Fr. | 1B | ACC All-Freshman Team
Serrano III exceled at the plate and defensively in his first collegiate season, appearing in 48 games with 44 starts at first base. The Fuquay-Varina native batted .295 with 12 doubles, seven homers, 30 RBI, 82 total bases and 36 runs scored. Defensively, he logged 347 putouts, 39 assists and a .987 fielding percentage.
Serrano III ranked fourth on the NC State roster with 23 walks and tied for fifth on the team with 14 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI performances. His 17-game reached-base streak earlier this season also ranked fifth among all Wolfpack hitters.
The Wolfpack's first baseman tied for the team lead with eight doubles in ACC play and ranked fourth in ACC play with 48 total bases.
UP NEXT
The Wolfpack will open the pool play portion of the ACC Baseball Championship on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against fifth-seeded Duke in Durham. The ninth-seeded Pack will then face fourth-seeded Miami on Thursday night at 7 p.m. to close out play in Pool D. Both games will be televised on ACC Network.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
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