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Virginia Catcher Kyle Teel Named ACC Baseball Player of the Year

Teel is the third Cavalier in program history to be named ACC Baseball Player of the Year

Matt Newton

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Virginia catcher Kyle Teel was named the 2023 ACC Player of the Year on Monday afternoon, becoming just the third Cavalier in program history to win the award, joining Joe Koshansky (2004) and Sean Doolittle (2006). 

A junior from Mahwah, New Jersey, Teel led the conference in batting average (.414) and hits (91) and his 23 doubles were tied for the ACC lead and match the UVA single-season program record. He started all 55 regular season games behind the plate, committing just two errors and allowing only six passed balls on the season. Teel has a .996 fielding percentage and caught 12 runners stealing on 22 attempts, allowing only 10 successful stolen bases against him this season. 

"Kyle Teel is 100% deserving to be the ACC Player of the Year," said UVA head coach Brian O'Connor on Monday. "The season that Kyle Teel has had is so rare in this league and to do it in the position that he plays behind the plate is really, really special. To win the batting title, to win the player of the year is a tremendous accomplishment. He earned that." 

Teel was not alone on the All-ACC Baseball Teams as UVA had seven total players recognized as All-ACC selections, including four Cavaliers honored on the All-ACC First Team. Only Wake Forest (9) had more total All-ACC selections. 

Joining Teel on the All-ACC First Team is junior third baseman Jake Gelof, junior outfielder Ethan O'Donnell, and sophomore shortstop Griff O'Ferrall. 

Gelof was recognized on the All-ACC First Team for the second season in a row, becoming just the 11th Cavalier in program history to earn back-to-back First-Team All-ACC selections. UVA's all-time home run king is batting .340 this season, broke his own single-season RBI record with 84 RBI, and matched the UVA single-season home run record with a pair of homers in the regular season finale on Saturday. 

A transfer center fielder from Northwestern, Ethan O'Donnell earned a First-Team nod after batting .364 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs, and 46 RBI while also leading the Cavaliers with 16 stolen bases on only 18 attempts. He ranks top 10 in both total hits (8th with 79) and runs scored (7th with 62) and has started all 55 games in center field for the Hoos. 

One of the best shortstops and leadoff hitters in the ACC, Griff O'Ferrall has started every game in his collegiate career at Virginia. O'Ferrall is batting .404 with 68 runs scored, 34 RBI, and 16 doubles and is tied with Ethan O'Donnell for the team lead in stolen bases with 16. The sophomore shortstop has committed only six errors all season and has a fielding percentage of .965. 

Virginia also had three players selected to the All-ACC Third Team: sophomore first baseman Ethan Anderson, junior starting pitcher Connelly Early, and graduate starting pitcher Brian Edgington. 

Ethan Anderson followed up his solid freshman campaign with a fantastic sophomore season, starting all 55 games at first base and recording 23 doubles on the season, tying with Kyle Teel for both the team lead and the single-season program record. Anderson is ranked in the top 10 in the conference in doubles, hits, batting average, RBI, and total bases. 

A transfer from Army, Connelly Early is 10-1 as a starting pitcher this season, recording just the 12th 10-win season in program history. Early is one of only two ACC pitchers to reach 10 wins this season and he has the fifth-lowest ERA (3.18) in the conference. His 5.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 4th in the ACC. 

Elon grad transfer Brian Edgington has been a key cog in UVA's weekend rotation this season, going 7-3 with a 3.66 ERA. His 4.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 7th in the ACC and he has recorded 77 strikeouts to just 18 walks. Edgington was the ACC Pitcher of the Week on May 15th after a dazzling performance of six shutout innings in UVA's win over Louisville to complete the series sweep. 

These standout All-ACC performers helped Virginia to a 44-11 overall record in the regular season and a 19-11 mark in ACC play, winning the program's first ACC Coastal title since 2011. 

2023 ACC Baseball Awards & All-Conference Teams

Player of the Year – Kyle Teel, Virginia, Jr., C
Pitcher of the Year – Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest, Jr., RHP
Freshman of the Year – Cam Cannarella, Clemson, Fr., OF
Defensive Player of the Year – Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina, So., OF
Coach of the Year – Tom Walter, Wake Forest

All-ACC First Team

Billy Amick, Clemson, So., DH/UT
Cam Cannarella, Clemson, Fr., OF
Alex Mooney, Duke, So., SS
Stephen Reid, Georgia Tech, Jr., OF
Yohandy Morales, Miami, Jr., 3B
Andrew Walters, Miami, So., RP
Jake Gelof, Virginia, Jr., 3B
Ethan O’Donnell, Virginia, Jr., OF
Griff O’Ferrall, Virginia, So., SS
Kyle Teel, Virginia, Jr., C
Jack Hurley, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF
Josh Hartle, Wake Forest, So., SP
Justin Johnson, Wake Forest, Jr., 2B
Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest, So., 1B
Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest, Jr., SP
Sean Sullivan, Wake Forest, So., SP

All-ACC Second Team

Chris Flynn, Boston College, Gr., SP
Caden Grice, Clemson, Jr., SP
James Tallon, Duke, Fr., RP
Jack DeLeo, Georgia Tech, Jr., OF
Angelo Dispigna, Georgia Tech, Sr., OF
Jackson Finley, Georgia Tech, So., DH/UT
Carson Liggett, Louisville, So., SP
CJ Kayfus, Miami, Jr., 1B
Dominic Pitelli, Miami, Jr., SS
Gage Ziehl, Miami, So., SP
Mac Horvath, North Carolina Jr., OF
Jackson Van De Brake, North Carolina, Jr., 2B
Jacob Cozart, NC State, So., C
Aidan Tyrell, Notre Dame, Gr., SP
Tommy Hawke, Wake Forest, So., OF
Brock Wilken, Wake Forest, Jr., 3B

All-ACC Third Team

Travis Honeyman, Boston College, Jr., OF
Joe Vetrano, Boston College, Jr., 1B
Cooper Ingle, Clemson, Jr., C
Jackson Baumeister, Florida State, So., SP
Kristian Campbell, Georgia Tech, Fr., 2B
Christian Knapczyk, Louisville, Jr., SS
Blake Cyr, Miami, Fr., 2B
Zach Levenson, Miami, Jr., OF
Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina, So., OF
LuJames Groover III, NC State, Jr., 3B
Kyle Hess, Pitt, Gr., OF
Ethan Anderson, Virginia, So., 1B
Connelly Early, Virginia, Jr., SP
Brian Edgington, Virginia, Gr., SP
Carson DeMartini, Virginia Tech, So., DH/UT
Seth Keener, Wake Forest, Jr., RP
Camden Minacci, Wake Forest, Jr., RP

All-ACC Freshman Team

Cam Cannarella, Clemson, OF
Andrew Fischer, Duke, INF
James Tallon, Duke, RP
Cam Smith, Florida State, 3B
Kristian Campbell, Georgia Tech, 2B
Blake Cyr, Miami, 2B
Casey Cook, North Carolina, OF
Dominic Fritton, NC State, SP
Cannon Peebles, NC State, C
Eli Serrano III, NC State, 1B
Brody Donay, Virginia Tech, C
Garrett Michel, Virginia Tech, 1B

As ACC Coastal Champions, Virginia has earned the No. 2 seed in this week's ACC Baseball Championship in Durham and has been sorted into Pool B along with No. 7 seed North Carolina and No. 11 seed Georgia Tech. UVA will face Georgia Tech on Wednesday at 3pm and North Carolina on Thursday at 3pm. Click here to see the full bracket and schedule for the 2023 ACC Baseball Championship. 

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Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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