VALDOSTA – The off-season schedule has begun for the Valdosta State baseball team, but the honors continue to roll in for star outfielder Dalton Duty, who was named First Team All-South Region this week by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
Duty joined 14 other Gulf South Conference student-athletes that helped make up the list of both First and Second Team honorees, and his First Team status made him an automatic nominee for the ABCA/Rawlings All-America selections, which are scheduled to be announced on Monday, May 30th.
The All-Region honor complemented NCBWA and D2CCA All-Region recognition last week for Duty, along with a spot among First Team All-GSC honorees, who were announced earlier this month.
Duty consistently represented one of the GSC’s top hitters throughout the duration of the 2016 season. Upon conclusion of regular season play, the right fielder out of Palatka, Fla. ranked among the league’s best in seven major offensive categories, including batting average (.415, 5th), slugging percentage (.652, 6th), on base percentage (.500, 5th), hits (68, T-7th), triples (3, T-9th), walks (31, T-5th), and stolen bases (14, 8th).
In addition to his work offensively, Duty made a name for himself as a right fielder not to test. In 99 opportunities, he committed just three errors and recorded 88 putouts. Furthermore, Duty cut down a slew of baserunners from the outfield during the season, racking up eight assists.
