By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
GREENSBORO, N.C. – After earning All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team at catcher for the second straight season, Tennessee Tech senior backstop Hayden Gilliland was recognized at the regional level Tuesday with his selection to the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Southeast Region Second Team.
A Maryville, Tenn. native, Gilliland became the first Golden Eagle to collect All-Region honors since Jason Hinchman and Ed Johnson were named to the First Team in 2022. He also became the first member of the Tech baseball team to collect All-Region recognition at the catcher position.
Gilliland joined Eric Brown (1970 & 1973) and Mac Coley (1974 & 1975) as the only Tech catchers to earn All-OVC First Team honors from the OVC two times in their career. Closing out a remarkable career, the senior hit .325 with team highs of 13 home runs and 56 RBI, finishing with 38 walks and a .433 on-base percentage.
He wrapped up his final season donning the purple and gold with his name littered across the program's career charts in a number of categories. Gilliland finished second in runner caught stealing (51), seventh in walks (121), 10th in games played (192), tied for 12th in home runs (30), 15th in on-base percentage (.429), 17th in RBI (131), tied for 19th in hits (196), and 23rd in runs (122).
The veteran finished his career with the third-most starts behind the dish, racking up 136 as Tech's starting catcher. He also tied for the second most starts as the team's backstop in a single season, matching Brian Lee's effort of 54 games in 1997.
On the year, he took home OVC Player of the Week honors and became the program's positional leader in both single-season and career long balls among catchers.
