Tates Creek grad Hairston named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for Louisville
Devin Hairston, a former Tates Creek High School baseball standout now playing for the University of Louisville, was named Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year on Monday.
The award was one of three major postseason honors secured by members of the Cardinals.
Junior two-way standout Brendan McKay was named ACC Player of the Year, and Dan McDonnell was selected as the league’s Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season.
The awards came one day before the ACC Tournament begins at Louisville’s Slugger Field, with the Cardinals as the No. 1 seed.
Hairston, a junior, has posted a .990 fielding percentage with just two errors in 209 chances this season. He has registered 75 put-outs to go with 132 assists and has had a hand in turning 22 double plays. At the plate, Hairston is third on the team in batting at .314. He has three home runs and 47 RBI.
McKay ranks among the league’s leading hitters with a .361 average, 15 home runs and 47 RBI. On the mound, McKay is 8-3 with a 2.22 ERA that ranks third among conference pitchers. His 116 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched leads the ACC.
McDonnell was again voted ACC Coach of the Year after guiding the Cardinals to a 46-9 overall mark, a 23-6 record in ACC play and a top-five national ranking throughout the season. McDonnell recently earned his 500th victory as a collegiate head coach, and Louisville has averaged more than 45 wins per year in his 11 seasons with the program.
McDonnell is the first in ACC history to earn three straight Coach of the Year honors.
Louisville also claimed four spots on the All-ACC First Team. McKay was named as a designated hitter and as a pitcher and was joined on the squad by third baseman Drew Ellis and pitcher Lincoln Henzman. Cardinals catcher Colby Fitch was named to the Second Team. Hairston and pitchers Kade McClure and Nick Bennett made the Third Team. Bennett also was chosen to the All-Freshman Team.
All-ACC
Awards
Player of the Year: Brendan McKay, Louisville
Pitcher of the Year: J.B. Bukauskas, North Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year: Devin Hairston, Louisville
Freshman of the Year: Ashton McGee, North Carolina
Coach of the Year: Dan McDonnell, Louisville
Teams
First Team
C — Ben Breazeale, Wake Forest
1B — Pavin Smith, Virginia
1B — Gavin Sheets, Wake Forest
2B — Wade Bailey, Georgia Tech
3B — Drew Ellis, Louisville
SS — Logan Warmoth, North Carolina
OF — Brian Miller, North Carolina
OF — Adam Haseley, Virginia
OF — Stuart Fairchild, Wake Forest
OF — Reed Rohlman, Clemson
DH/UT — Brendan McKay, Louisville
SP — Tyler Holton, Florida State
SP — Brendan McKay, Louisville
SP — J.B. Bukauskas, North Carolina
RP — Lincoln Henzman, Louisville
RP — Josh Hiatt, North Carolina
Second Team
C — Joey Bart, Georgia Tech
C — Colby Fitch, Louisville
1B — Sam Fragale, Virginia Tech
2B — Jake Mueller, Wake Forest
3B — Johnny Aiello, Wake Forest
SS — Joe Dunand, NC State
OF — Seth Beer, Clemson
OF — Griffin Conine, Duke
OF — Cameron Simmons, Virginia
OF — Tom Stoffel, Virginia Tech
DH/UT — Quincy Nieporte, Florida State
SP — Pat Krall, Clemson
SP — Jeb Bargfeldt, Miami
SP — Parker Dunshee, Wake Forest
SP — Connor Johnstone, Wake Forest
RP — Griffin Roberts, Wake Forest
Third Team
C — Robbie Coman, Virginia
1B — Andrew Cox, Clemson
2B — Jack Owens, Virginia Tech
3B — Dylan Busby, Florida State
3B — Trevor Craport, Georgia Tech
SS — Devin Hairston, Louisville
SS — Ernie Clement, Virginia
OF — Chase Pinder, Clemson
OF — Matt Vierling, Notre Dame
OF — Jonathan Pryor, Wake Forest
DH/UT — Brad Debo, NC State
SP — Charlie Barnes, Clemson
SP — Kade McClure, Louisville
SP — Nick Bennett, Louisville
SP — Gianluca Dalatri, North Carolina
RP — Tommy Doyle, Virginia
All-Freshman Team
SS — Logan Davidson, Clemson
OF — J.C. Flowers, Florida State
1B — Drew Mendoza, Florida State
SS — Austin Wilhite, Georgia Tech
SP — Nick Bennett, Louisville
SP — Gianluca Dalatri, North Carolina
DH/UT — Ashton McGee, North Carolina
SP — Michael Bienlien, NC State
DH/UT — Brad Debo, NC State
2B — Will Wilson, NC State
2B — Alex Amos, Pittsburgh
SP — Noah Murdock, Virginia
This story was originally published May 22, 2017 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Tates Creek grad Hairston named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for Louisville."