PEMBROKE — The foursome of Kody O’Connor, Joey Rezek, Michael Dolberry II, and Jonathon Jacobs added yet another honor to their collegiate résumés when the group was named to the ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region Team.
It is the third All-Region honor for the quartet in less than a month, as all four were named to the NCBWA and D2CCA All-Region teams, as well. The announcement marks the sixth straight season the Braves have had at least one ABCA first-team selection, and the first time since 2018 that multiple Braves have been a part of the first team.
O’Connor was a first-team selection after compiling a .362 (77-for-213) batting average in 56 starts this season to go along with 18 doubles, 19 homers, and a team-high 78 RBI. The Lebanon, Ohio native also drew 33 walks and was hit by a team-high 18 pitches, while logging a .478 on base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage. The first-team All-Conference and Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team selection racked up a team-leading 25 multi-hit games this season, and also chipped in with eight stolen bases and three outfield assists.
Another first-team selection, Rezek settled into the designated hitter role for the Black & Gold and had a breakout season, hitting .421 (83-for-197) in 51 starts, while also adding 19 doubles, 22 home runs, and 76 RBI. The senior from Colfax led Conference Carolinas and broke the UNCP single-season record for runs with 77. The Conference Carolinas Tournament MVP and first-team All-Conference selection logged 21 multi-hit games and a team-leading 24 multi-RBI games, while also going a perfect 14-for-14 in the stolen base department. Rezek also provided a .521 on base percentage and an .853 slugging percentage for a 1.374 OPS.
O’Connor and Rezek will now advance to the national ballot where the duo will be under consideration for ABCA All-America accolades. The results of that voting will be announced in June.
A Prince George, Va. native, Dolberry was a second-team selection and was a mainstay in left field for the Black & Gold and finished with a .382 (65-for-170) batting average to go along with 15 doubles, a triple, and 14 long balls. Another first-team All-Conference selection, the senior finished inside the top-10 in the conference in batting average, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage (.729), and stolen bases (15), while also tallying 18 multi-hit and 11 multi-RBI games.
Jacobs, another second-team honoree, put together an outstanding junior campaign in the Black & Gold’s starting rotation, racking up an 8-1 record and a 3.25 ERA in 12 starts. The Lumberton native held opponents to a paltry .236 average, and tallied 66 punchouts in 72 innings. Jacobs picked up the win against two top-25 teams this season, earning the victory in the series-clinching win over No. 2 North Greenville, while going seven innings against No. 23 Barton, allowing just five hits and an unearned run to lock up the series, while also being named to the Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team after going seven innings in the win over Erskine, allowing just four hits and two runs to go along with seven strikeouts.
The group becomes the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th players in program history to collect All-Region honors from all three national organizations, while Rezek is just the ninth Brave in program history to be named to the first team by all three organizations.