Photo by: Joshua Ragsdale
Recapping the Historic and Record-Breaking 2023 Upstate Baseball Season
6/28/2023 2:30:00 PM | Baseball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – As the 2023 NCAA Men's College World Series has come to a close, it's time to look back on USC Upstate baseball's historic 2023 season which culminated in the program's first Division I era (2007-pres.) appearance in a conference championship game and a program-record win total.
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Advancing to the program's first-ever Big South Tournament Championship Game, the Spartans claimed a program-best 38 wins, giving the program its winningest two (73) and three-year (110) stretches while being one of 23 Division I programs to win 35 or more games in each of the last three seasons. Of the program's 38 wins in 2023, three came against Power-Six opponents (Cincinnati, Clemson, and Northwestern) and two against ranked opponents (twice; No. 9 Campbell).
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En route to earning a third straight No. 2 overall seed, Upstate captured a program-record 21 Big South wins (non-40-game conference schedule), winning eight of its nine Big South series in 2023. Eight Spartans captured postseason All-Conference honors, tying the program record for single-season All-Conference winners as redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Reese Dutton (First Team), redshirt junior first baseman Grant Sherrod (First Team), redshirt sophomore righty Jake Cubbler (Second Team), sophomore designated hitter Jace Rinehart (Second Team), sophomore third baseman Cole Caruso (Honorable Mention), junior left-hander Henry Proger (Honorable Mention), freshman righty Braden Consaul (All-Freshman), and freshman right-hander Mathieu Curtis (All-Freshman) took home honors. Dutton, Rinehart, Sherrod, and junior second baseman Easton Cullison garnered All-Tournament honors, adding to the postseason awards list.
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As a team, Upstate set eight program records—five season and three game records—setting marks for games played (60), stolen bases (110), sacrifice flies (48), pitching strikeouts (497), and fielding percentage (.969) while setting game highs for runs scored (25 versus The Citadel), sac flies (three; five times), and stolen bases (10 versus Gardner-Webb). Of the Spartans' five program records, two earned top-25 national rankings, ranking second in the NCAA in sacrifice flies and 24th in stolen bases. In addition to the five program records, Upstate also set Division I era records for runs scored (439), doubles (107), home runs (53), walks (292), and innings pitched (535.1) while setting the D1 era game marks for doubles (8 versus The Citadel).
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Each of the Spartans' First Team All-Big South honorees put forth historical seasons, one at the plate and one on the mound. At the plate, Sherrod crafted the top offensive season in the program's Division I era, setting era high-water marks for games played (60), home runs (15), runs batted in (66), total bases (140), and slugging percentage (.625). On the mound, Dutton earned a program-best 10 wins—one of 22 Division I pitchers with 10 or more wins this season—and struck out a program-high 102 batters, ranking 12th and 41st in the NCAA, respectively.
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Pitching to the tune of a 1.51 earned run average over 41.2 innings, Cubbler established the program mark for lowest single-season ERA, adding to the list of individual program season records set in 2023 with Caruso joining Sherrod in playing a program-high 60 games. Caruso also added the D1 era record for walks with 41 while Cullison established the D1 mark for steals with 25 and redshirt junior David Pereira the D1 record for sacrifice flies with seven.
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In addition to the numerous program and Division I era records established during the season, Upstate also was the lone Big South program to feature a player on the watch lists for each of the three College Baseball Foundation national awards. Dutton found himself on the watch list for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, redshirt junior shortstop on the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, and sophomore right-handed pitcher and designated hitter Noah Sullivan on the watch list for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
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Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartansÂ
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes!  Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!
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Advancing to the program's first-ever Big South Tournament Championship Game, the Spartans claimed a program-best 38 wins, giving the program its winningest two (73) and three-year (110) stretches while being one of 23 Division I programs to win 35 or more games in each of the last three seasons. Of the program's 38 wins in 2023, three came against Power-Six opponents (Cincinnati, Clemson, and Northwestern) and two against ranked opponents (twice; No. 9 Campbell).
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En route to earning a third straight No. 2 overall seed, Upstate captured a program-record 21 Big South wins (non-40-game conference schedule), winning eight of its nine Big South series in 2023. Eight Spartans captured postseason All-Conference honors, tying the program record for single-season All-Conference winners as redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Reese Dutton (First Team), redshirt junior first baseman Grant Sherrod (First Team), redshirt sophomore righty Jake Cubbler (Second Team), sophomore designated hitter Jace Rinehart (Second Team), sophomore third baseman Cole Caruso (Honorable Mention), junior left-hander Henry Proger (Honorable Mention), freshman righty Braden Consaul (All-Freshman), and freshman right-hander Mathieu Curtis (All-Freshman) took home honors. Dutton, Rinehart, Sherrod, and junior second baseman Easton Cullison garnered All-Tournament honors, adding to the postseason awards list.
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As a team, Upstate set eight program records—five season and three game records—setting marks for games played (60), stolen bases (110), sacrifice flies (48), pitching strikeouts (497), and fielding percentage (.969) while setting game highs for runs scored (25 versus The Citadel), sac flies (three; five times), and stolen bases (10 versus Gardner-Webb). Of the Spartans' five program records, two earned top-25 national rankings, ranking second in the NCAA in sacrifice flies and 24th in stolen bases. In addition to the five program records, Upstate also set Division I era records for runs scored (439), doubles (107), home runs (53), walks (292), and innings pitched (535.1) while setting the D1 era game marks for doubles (8 versus The Citadel).
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Each of the Spartans' First Team All-Big South honorees put forth historical seasons, one at the plate and one on the mound. At the plate, Sherrod crafted the top offensive season in the program's Division I era, setting era high-water marks for games played (60), home runs (15), runs batted in (66), total bases (140), and slugging percentage (.625). On the mound, Dutton earned a program-best 10 wins—one of 22 Division I pitchers with 10 or more wins this season—and struck out a program-high 102 batters, ranking 12th and 41st in the NCAA, respectively.
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Pitching to the tune of a 1.51 earned run average over 41.2 innings, Cubbler established the program mark for lowest single-season ERA, adding to the list of individual program season records set in 2023 with Caruso joining Sherrod in playing a program-high 60 games. Caruso also added the D1 era record for walks with 41 while Cullison established the D1 mark for steals with 25 and redshirt junior David Pereira the D1 record for sacrifice flies with seven.
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In addition to the numerous program and Division I era records established during the season, Upstate also was the lone Big South program to feature a player on the watch lists for each of the three College Baseball Foundation national awards. Dutton found himself on the watch list for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, redshirt junior shortstop on the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, and sophomore right-handed pitcher and designated hitter Noah Sullivan on the watch list for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
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Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartansÂ
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes!  Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!
Players Mentioned
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