NEED TO KNOW:
CCS Pitcher of the Year: Zeke Swartz 
CCS Rookie of the Year: Ben Connelly 
All-CCS First Team: Zeke Swartz (P), Braden Simms (RP)
All-CCS Second Team: Cody Funk (OF), Cole Ellis (OF), Carter Few (DH), Peyton Irvin (P)
All-Sportsmanship Team Representative: Jack Gilsenan

ATLANTA - Zeke Swartz and Ben Connelly highlighted Piedmont baseball's all-conference honorees as Swartz was named CCS Pitcher of the Year while Connelly earned CCS Rookie of the Year as the Collegiate Conference of the South released its baseball postseason awards Wednesday.

In total, six Lions earned all-conference honors with Swartz and Braden Simms earning a spot on the first team, while Cody Funk, Cole Ellis, Carter Few and Peyton Irvin took spots on the second team. 

Zeke Swartz, CCS Pitcher of the Year & All-CCS First Team (Pitcher)

BY THE NUMBERS:
ERA: 1.89 (1st on the team & 2nd in the league)
Strikeouts: 76 (1st on team & in the league)
Record: 5-1
In-Season CCS Recognition: 3x Pitcher of the Week
Past All-Conference Recognition: All-CCS First Team (2024)
Of Note: Swartz posted a stellar 1.89 ERA, ranking second in the league and among the top 40 nationally, and his 0.87 WHIP stood 11th in the NCAA. Swartz went 5-1 over 10 starts, tossing 62.0 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .182 batting average, ranking first in the league. He also led the league in strikeouts with 76, 16 more than anyone else. 
 
 

Ben Connelly, CCS Rookie of the Year

BY THE NUMBERS:
Hits: 51 (T-1st on team)
Batting Average: .354 (2nd on team)
Doubles: 10 (T-1st on team)
Stolen Bases: 14 (3rd on team)
In-Season CCS Recognition: 1x CCS Rookie of the Week
Of Note: Connelly was a force at the plate for the Lions in his debut campaign posting the second best batting average on the team with a .354. He is tied for the team-lead in hits with 51 as well as tied at the top in doubles with 10. He has spent his time across the middle infield for the Lions and earned CCS Rookie of the Week following a stellar outing against Huntingdon including his first career home run, a grand slam. 
 

Braden Simms, All-CCS First Team (Relief Pitcher)

BY THE NUMBERS:
ERA: 1.93 (2nd on the team, 1st among relievers)
Record: 4-1
Saves: 8 (1st on team & in the league)
Strikeouts: 27
Past All-Conference Recognition: All-CCS First Team (2024)
Of Note: Simms leads the team and the league in saves for the second year in a row as he posts eight this year and broke the Piedmont career saves record this season as well. He posts a 1.93 ERA with four wins to his credit as well across 15 appearances. 
 

Cody Funk, All-CCS Second Team (Outfielder)

BY THE NUMBERS:
Hits: 51 (T-1st on team)
Batting Average: .333 (3rd on team)
Runs: 40 (1st on team)
Stolen Bases: 33 (1st on team & in the league) 
Of Note: Funk earns his first all-conference honor of his career after a breakout season starting all 39 games in the outfield. He leads the team in hits and stolen bases and is tied at the top of the team with 51 hits along with Ben Connelly. His 33 stolen bases leads the league by 11. He led the team in on-base percentage with a .455. 
 

Cole Ellis, All-CCS Second Team (Outfielder)

BY THE NUMBERS:
Hits: 40 (T-5th on team)
Batting Average: .320 (4th on team)
Runs: 35 (2nd on team)
RBI: 28 (4th on team) 
Past All-Conference Recognition: All-CCS Second Team (2023)
Of Note: Ellis was a staple in the outfield for the Lions earning 36 starts and posting a .320 batting average. He totaled 40 hits and 28 RBI while scoring 35 runs which ranks second on the team. 
 

Carter Few, All-CCS Second Team (Designated Hitter)

BY THE NUMBERS:
Batting Average: .367 (1st on team)
Hits: 47 (3rd on team)
Runs: 27
Of Note: Few worked his way into the lineup early earning 33 starts as a primary designated hitter. He led the team with his .367 batting average and finished second on the team in on-base percentage with a .454.
 

Peyton Irvin, All-CCS Second Team (Pitcher)

BY THE NUMBERS:
ERA: 2.21 (3rd on the team)
Strikeouts: 44 (2nd on the team)
Record: 3-2
In-Season CCS Recognition: 2x Pitcher of the Week
Past All-Conference Recognition: All-USA South West Division Second Team (2021)
Of Note: Irvin posted a 2.21 ERA which ranked second among all starters for the Lions working across 12 appearances. He totaled three wins in his 57.0 innings pitched and earned a pair of CCS Pitcher of the Week honors over the season. 
 

2025 CCS Baseball Superlative Awards
Player of the Year – Colin Dunworth, Maryville
Pitcher of the Year – Zeke Swartz, Piedmont
Rookie Player of the Year – Ben Connelly, Piedmont
Rookie Pitcher of the Year – Josiah Chiesa, LaGrange
Coach of the Year – Clint Helton, Maryville
 

2025 CCS Baseball All-Conference Teams
First Team

C	David Smigelski	LaGrange	Senior	Canton, Ga.
1B	Adam Dorn	LaGrange	Senior	Canton, Ga.
2B	Reece Jordan	Maryville	Sophomore	Chattanooga, Tenn.
SS	Jackson McElvy	LaGrange	Junior	Kennesaw, Ga.
3B	Zeke Gilbert	Covenant	Senior	Douglasville, Ga.
OF	Curt Bonner	LaGrange	Junior	Cartersville, Ga.
OF	JD Weed	Belhaven	Junior	Terry, Miss.
OF	Colin Dunworth	Maryville	Junior	Nolensville, Tenn.
DP	Nick Thornton	Belhaven	Sophomore	Brandon, Miss.
UTIL	Blake McCarthy	Belhaven	Junior	Mandeville, La.
P	Zeke Swartz	Piedmont	Senior	Blairsville, Ga.
P	Kyle Timko	Maryville	Junior	Tampa, Fla.
P	Kade May	Belhaven	Senior	Florence, Miss.
RP	Braden Simms	Piedmont	Senior	Oakwood, Ga.
RP	Brent Cadenhead	Huntingdon	Junior	Pace, Fla.

 
 
Second Team

C	Ashton Whiteaker	Maryville	Senior	Carlsbad, N.M.
1B	Tristan Pearson	Belhaven	Senior	Biloxi, Miss.
2B	Hunter Harrell	Belhaven	Senior	Zachary, La.
SS	Brayden Evans	Maryville	Junior	Knoxville, Tenn.
3B	Matt Hall	Maryville	Senior	Lexington, Ky.
OF	Cody Funk	Piedmont	Junior	McDonough, Ga.
OF	Jorge Fragoso	LaGrange	Senior	East Point, Ga.
OF	Cole Ellis	Piedmont	Senior	Woodstock, Ga.
DH	Carter Few	Piedmont	Freshman	Alpharetta, Ga.
UTIL	Brent Cadenhead	Huntingdon	Junior	Pace, Fla.
P	Peyton Irvin	Piedmont	Graduate Student	Cornelia, Ga.
P	Josiah Chiesa	LaGrange	Freshman	Dalton, Ga.
P	Scotty Smith	Covenant	Senior	Cartersville, Ga.
RP	Ethan Goebert	Covenant	Sophomore	New Port Richey, Fla.
RP	Lane Alack	Belhaven	Freshman	Loranger, La.

 

All-Sportsmanship Team

Ben Propes	Asbury	Sophomore	Birmingham, Ala.
Eli Britt	Belhaven	Senior	Petal, Miss.
Benjamin Johnson	Covenant	Senior	Tranas, Sweden
Sam Kelley	Huntingdon	Sophomore	Brewton, Ala.
Tray Owens	LaGrange	Senior	Franklin, Ga.
Matt Hall	Maryville	Senior	Lexington, Ky.
Jack Gilsenan	Piedmont	Graduate Student	Powder Springs, Ga.