AUGUSTA, GA – The Peach Belt Conference has released the 2022 baseball All-Conference team. North Georgia’s Crews Taylor was named the PBC Player of the Year with Georgia Southwestern’s Jared Donalson the Pitcher of the Year. Lander’s Connor Droze was named the Freshman of the Year and Columbus State’s Greg Appleton the Coach of the Year.
Taylor was an offensive machine for the Nighthawks. The senior outfielder from Lawrenceville, Ga., led the Peach Belt in home runs, doubles, runs scored, slugging percentage and total hits and was in the league top 10 in batting average and RBIs. His 23 home runs this season is tied for ninth-most in a single season in PBC history and tied for fourth-most in NCAA Division II this season. He is also ranked 12th in DII in runs and 33rd in slugging percentage. Taylor becomes the second Nighthawk to be named the PBC Player of the Year, joining Brian Lauderdale who won in 2006.
Donalson set the standard for starting pitchers in the PBC in 2022. The senior righty from Albany, Ga., is 10-3 on the season with a 1.75 ERA. Those numbers improved in conference play where he was 8-1 with a 1.58 ERA. He leads the PBC in ERA, wins, strikeouts and opponent batting average, keeping hitters at a .190 clip for the season. He is also second in innings pitched with three complete games this season. He is currently ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in ERA and strikeouts and tied for third in wins. He keeps the Pitcher of the Year award in Americus for a third straight season after Tucker Smith won in 2019 and 2021.
Droze had a remarkable freshman season for the Bearcats. The freshman utility player from Roebuck, S.C., made 29 starts with 36 appearances this season, hitting .357 with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs. He is second in the PBC with a .741 slugging percentage with 11 doubles and a triple to go with his home runs. He is also third in the PBC in OPS and tied for ninth in homers. The PBC Freshman of the Week on March 21, he had multiple RBIs in 12 games this year including three games with four RBIs. Droze becomes the second Bearcat to be named the Freshman of the Year, joining Brandon White who won in 2014.
Greg Appleton led his Cougars to the PBC regular-season championship and the #1 seed in the PBC Tournament. CSU was atop the league table from the very beginning of the season and have been ranked nationally in the top 10 each week, including #8 this week. In his 25th season at CSU, Appleton’s Cougars lead the PBC in team ERA and slugging and are second in team batting average. The all-time winningest coach in PBC history with 892 victories in his time in the conference, Appleton earns the Coach of the Year honor for the third time.
The 2022 All-Conference team is listed below, as selected by the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
2022 Peach Belt Baseball
All-Conference Team
First Team
1b – Steven Minter, Columbus State
2b – Jeff Cyr, USC Aiken
3b – Tyler Skelton, Georgia Southwestern
SS – Isaac Bouton, Columbus State
C – Robert Brooks, Columbus State
DH – Brandon Bellflower, Georgia College
UT – Vincent Derubeis, Lander
OF – Crews Taylor, North Georgia
OF – Paul Grazzini, Georgia College
OF – Derek Wylie, Columbus State
OF – Cam Hill, Georgia College
SP – Jared Donalson, Georgia Southwestern
SP – Joel Haney, USC Aiken
SP – Gage Voorhees, Flagler
SP – Josh Hudgins, Georgia College
SP – Nick McCollum, Georgia Southwestern
RP – McLain Harris, Young Harris
Second Team
1b – Brandon Bellflower, Georgia College
2b – Matthew Burke, Flagler
2b – Austin Holloway, Georgia College
3b – David Meadows, Columbus State
SS – KC Brown, Georgia College
C – Jackson Jones, Young Harris
DH – Connor Droze, Lander
UT – Miles Hartsfield, Georgia Southwestern
OF – Vincent Derubeis, Lander
OF – Steve Joyner, Claflin
OF – Rome Wallace, Young Harris
OF – Kobe Miller, Claflin
SP – Devin Dudal, Columbus State
SP – Pierce Williams, North Georgia
SP – Brennan Crooms, Georgia College
RP – Jake Arnold, North Georgia
Elite 16 Award
Jacob Lassiat, North Georgia
Freshman of the Year
Connor Droze, Lander
Pitcher of the Year
Jared Donalson, Georgia Southwestern
Player of the Year
Crews Taylor, North Georgia
Coach of the Year
Greg Appleton, Columbus State