2023 All-OVC Teams and Award Winners
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Six members of the Tennessee Tech baseball team were among those honored by the Ohio Valley Conference Tuesday evening, as the league announced its annual postseason honors at a banquet on the eve of the 2023 OVC Tournament.
John Dyer, Hayden Gilliland, Peyton Mills, Jacob Morin, Eddie Garza, and Brody Lanham all received recognition from the OVC, with votes accumulated from the league's coaches and sports information contacts.
Dyer earned a spot on the All-OVC First Team as a first baseman, the second First Team honor of his career. Gilliland joined him on the First Team, holding down the title of the league's top catcher. Mills was selected to the All-OVC Second Team at third base while Jacob Morin earned a Second Team nod as a relief pitcher. Both Garza and Lanham were recognized as members of the OVC All-Freshman Team.
This marks the 13th straight season the Golden Eagles saw at least four student-athletes collect end-of-the-year honors from the OVC (does not include the 2020 season, which was cancelled after 15 games, and subsequently, no postseason honors were awarded during the year). It represents the 12th consecutive year Tech saw at least one student-athlete named to the All-OVC First Team.
A local native of Mt. Juliet, Dyer became just the fifth Golden Eagles to claim All-OVC First Team honors at multiple positions during their career. The slugger joined an elite list including Jason Hinchman (2019 - 1B; 2022 - OF), Brandon Thomasson (2013 - DH; 2014 - OF), Chad Oberacker (2010 - OF; 2011 - UTL), and Jeremy Bonczynski (1996 - OF; 1997 - 3B).
Dyer delivered an incredible senior campaign, batting .335 with 22 home runs, 10 doubles, 64 hits, 47 runs, 44 RBI, an on-base percentage of .427, and a .733 slugging percentage. In league play alone, he paced the OVC in average, slugging, OPS (1.476), hits, home runs, and total bases.
His current total of 22 long balls ranks him in a tie for fourth in program history for a single season with Brandon Thomasson's 22 in 2014. Hinchman's 24 long balls in 2019 rank third while Kirby-Jones' 26 in 2010 and Hinchman's 26 last season represent the record.
An OVC Player of the Week and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week, Dyer heads into OVC Tournament play with a 23-game hitting streak, the third-longest mark in a single season in team history. He also ranks 10th nationally in round-trippers while his 46 career long balls rank him sixth in program and 17th in OVC history. Over the last 18 games, Dyer has amassed 14 dingers and has clubbed a whopping 21 bombs over the team's last 32 games, smashing his second blast of the season in Tech's 20th game of the year.
Gilliland took a big step forward in his production at the plate, becoming the first Golden Eagle backstop to take home All-OVC First Team accolades since Ben Burgess in 2012. The Maryville native led the team with a .460 on-base percentage and 40 walks while tallying a .319 average, 35 runs, 53 hits, eight doubles, a career-high 10 home runs, and 32 RBI. He also posted a .987 fielding percentage.
The junior represents just the fourth backstop in program history to hit the double-digit dinger mark, joining an elite crew of Matt Ballard (11 - 1992; 10-1989), Brian Lee (11 - 1997), Steve Soper (10 - 2007), and Chris Brown (11 - 2016; 11 - 2017). The junior sits just one long ball away from tying the positional record and two from setting a new standard.
Over his last 10 games, Gilliland has been on an absolute tear, pacing the purple and gold with a .515 average, 17 hits, five home runs, and 13 RBI.
Taking over third base duties for his lone season in Cookeville, Mills spent the whole season demolishing the baseball and driving in runs. The Charleston Southern transfer led the league with 60 RBI, rounding out a sharp season with a .279 average, 43 runs, 55 hits, 13 doubles, 17 long balls, 31 walks, a .395 on-base percentage, and a .614 slugging percentage.
The senior has combined with Dyer to become just the fifth set of teammates in team history to each hit at least 17 pumps in the same season and first since 2018 when Kevin Strohschein (18), Chase Chambers (17), David Garza (17), and Trevor Putzig (17) accomplished the impressive mark. An OVC Player of the Week on March 6, Mills heads into league play on an 11-game hitting streak.
Also taking home Second Team honors while competing in his first season in the purple and gold, Morin proved to be the most steady arm on the Tech pitching staff. The right-hander made 18 appearances, including one start, compiling team-best marks of a 3.38 ERA, 3-0 record, four saves, and a .185 opponent batting average. He struck out 42 batters in 40 innings of work, issuing just 16 free passes.
His current opponent batting average allowed would represent the program's single-season record, besting the previous mark of .202 set by Cole Helms in 2003. Morin turned in 10 scoreless appearances out of the bullpen, and four more allowing just one earned run.
The League City, Texas native led the league in OVC play in ERA, opposing batting average, games finished, hits allowed, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, and home runs allowed. Morin earned OVC Pitcher of the Week honors following Tech's series sweep of SIUE, securing saves in the first two contests with four innings of work and just one hit allowed.
Rounding out the Tech honors with All-Freshman recognition were Garza and Lanham. A redshirt rookie from Rio Grande City, Texas, Garza batted a solid .274 with 25 runs, 45 hits, seven doubles, six bombs, 21 RBI, and a .427 slugging percentage while playing second base for most of the year.
A right-handed pitcher, Lanham made 18 appearances on the hill for the purple and gold, including one start. The Clarksville native racked up three saves across 33 innings while striking out 26 batters.
