SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After a record-breaking 2021 season, VMI's Justin Starke was recognized Tuesday as the Southern Conference's Baseball Freshman of the Year by both the league's coaches and media members.  

Starke paced the Keydets this spring with a .422 batting average and finished the season by reaching base safely in the last 24 straight-games, including a 13-game hitting streak. Starke's .525 on base percentage is the highest-ever for a single season in program history and his batting average ranks third.

He earned SoCon Player of the Week twice and Player of the month once. Starke leads the conference in batting average and on base percentage and is sixth in slugging percentage and hits.

The Keydets had four players earn All-Freshman Team honors: Tyler Bradt, Trey Morgan, Zac Morris and Starke.

"Congrats to Justin for earning the Freshman of the Year for the SoCon as well as Zac Morris, Trey Morgan, and Tyler Bradt for placing on the All-Freshman team," said VMI head coach Jonathan Hadra. "This team battled through much adversity this year, like all teams did across the country, and to see them grow and compete together was special.  We lost some close games early, but as the season continued our young team learned what it took to win those close games and we finished playing our best baseball at the end of the year. These four guys played a major role in the growth that our team made and we are already looking forward to the fall in anticipation of the leadership roles that each of these players take to continue to move the program forward."
 
2021 SoCon Baseball Coaches All-Southern Conference Teams
Player of the Year – Colin Davis, OF, Wofford
Pitcher of the Year – Elliot Carney, RHP, Wofford
Freshman of the Year – Justin Starke, 1B, VMI
Coach of the Year – Todd Interdonato, Wofford  
 
First team
SP           Colby Stuart, ETSU 
SP           Elliot Carney, Wofford
RP           Dalton Rhadans, Wofford
C             Luke Robinson, Western Carolina
1B           Justin Starke, VMI
2B           Garett Delano, Mercer
SS           RJ Yeager, Mercer
3B           Jack Renwick, Wofford 
OF           Corey Rosier, UNCG
OF           Justice Bigbie, Western Carolina
OF           Colin Davis, Wofford
DH          Will Prater, Western Carolina
 
Second team
SP           Garett Delano, Mercer 
SP           Zebby Matthews, Western Carolina
RP           Luke Sutko, Mercer
C             Collin Price, Mercer
1B           Sonny DiChiara, Samford
2B           Hogan Windish, UNCG  
SS           Pascanel Ferreras, Western Carolina
3B           Trevor Austin, Mercer                       
OF           Ryan McCarthy, The Citadel
OF           Bill Knight, Mercer
OF           Nolen Hester, Wofford
DH          Tyler McManus, Samford  
 
All-freshman team 
Matthew Bollenbacher, ETSU
Ashton King, ETSU
Hunter Loyd, ETSU
Colby Thomas, Mercer
Chase Isbell, Samford
Tyler Bradt, VMI
Trey Morgan, VMI
Zac Morris, VMI
Justin Starke, VMI
Pascanel Ferreras, Western Carolina
Jack Renwick, Wofford
Trey Yunger, Wofford
 
2021 SoCon Sports Media Association Baseball All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year – Colin Davis, OF, Wofford  
Pitcher of the Year – Elliot Carney, RHP, Wofford 
Freshman of the Year – Justin Starke, 1B, VMI
Coach of the Year – Todd Interdonato, Wofford
 
First team
SP           Colby Stuart, ETSU
SP           Elliot Carney, Wofford
RP           Dalton Rhadans, Wofford
C             Luke Robinson, Western Carolina
1B           Justin Starke, VMI
2B           Garett Delano, Mercer
SS           RJ Yeager, Mercer
3B           Jack Renwick, Wofford
OF           Corey Rosier, UNCG
OF          Justice Bigbie, Western Carolina
OF           Colin Davis, Wofford
DH          Will Prater, Western Carolina
 
Second team
SP           Garett Delano, Mercer
SP           Zebby Matthews, Western Carolina
RP           Austin Parsley, UNCG
C             Lawson Hill, Wofford
1B           Sonny DiChiara, Samford
2B           Hogan Windish, UNCG
SS            Pascanel Ferreras, Western Carolina
3B           Trevor Austin, Mercer
OF           Ryan McCarthy, The Citadel
OF           Bill Knight, Mercer
OF           Nolen Hester, Wofford
DH          Tyler McManus, Samford