CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – One of the best baseball players to ever suit up in a North Carolina uniform is bringing home a notable piece of hardware for his efforts this season.
UNC junior outfielder Vance Honeycutt was selected as a recipient of the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the organization announced Wednesday.
He joins fellow outfielders Ryley Johnson (East Carolina) and Bryce Boettcher (Oregon) on the 2024 Gold Glove team, which annually recognizes the top defensive players in college and high school baseball.
This comes one day after UNC was eliminated in the College World Series following a 9-5 loss to Florida State.
The Salisbury native becomes the first Tar Heel to win an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award since the trophy’s inception back in 2007.
Honeycutt, who’s the reigning two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, led all outfielders in defensive runs saved at 16.85, which ranks second highest among all players in NCAA Division I. Starting 62 games at centerfield this year, he also produced 191 putouts and five assists while bolstering a .985 fielding percentage.
The star outfielder is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.