FOREST, Va. --- The University of Lynchburg saw three players earn special individual honors and seven standouts pick up all-conference team selections to headline the 2022 All-ODAC Baseball Awards. Shenandoah University earned six team selections and one special recognition. Bridgewater College and Randolph-Macon College features five team picks with the Eagles securing the final special honor.

Lynchburg outfield Avery Neaves earned ODAC Player of the Year honors, while Bridgewater righty Reid Long garnered ODAC Pitcher of the Year laurels. Lynchburg mentor Lucas Jones collected ODAC Coach of the Year recognition from his peers, while Hornets' starter Nick Mattfield received ODAC Rookie of the Year distinction. Shenandoah first baseman Pearce Bucher was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league's athletic communication personnel.

A vast majority of this year's All-ODAC honorees did not appear on last season's chart. Only nine of the 39 honorees on the 2022 chart are repeat award winners from 2021. Four appear on the All-ODAC First Team. Lynchburg's Neaves and closer Grayson Thurman were both first team picks last year. The same can be said of Eastern Mennonite University outfielder Jaylon Lee and Shenandoah shortstop Frankie Ritter.

EMU shortstop Brett Lindsay and Randolph-Macon outfielder Ethan Iannuzzi are All-ODAC Second Team picks for a second straight season. Virginia Wesleyan University catcher Matt Sinko moved up to second team from the 2021 All-ODAC Third Team. Teammate and lefty starter Robert Cook appears on the third team after a second team selection last season. SU's Bucher is a third team pick at first base after being a first team honoree at third base in 2021.

RELATED: 2021 All-ODAC Teams | All-Time All-ODAC

Neaves, a junior from Reston, Va., has been extraordinarily productive the past two seasons. Neaves set the ODAC record for RBI in a season with 63 in 2021, and he enters the final weekend poised to break that mark with a league-best 61 driven in already this year. He also leads the ODAC in OBP (.574), SLG (.844), runs (61), homers (14), total bases (119), and walks (51). He is second in batting (.411), third in doubles (15), and fifth in hits (58). He has stolen 12 bases. Neaves has reached base safely via hit or walk in all 42 games played this year. He has enjoyed several modest hitting streaks with a seven-high seven-game stretch during the middle of the campaign.

Long, a sophomore from Chesapeake, Va., has pitched like an ace for the Eagles, posting a program-record 11 victories at 11-1 entering the ODAC Tournament final weekend. That win total along with his 1.77 earned run average rank #1 in the ODAC among qualified pitchers (min. 1.0 inning pitched/team game). In 71.0 innings on the hill, Long has allowed just 14 walks and 53 hits, the latter number leading to a .224 opponents' batting average. He has struck out 63 batters. Long posted wins in his first six appearances including five starts before suffering his only loss of the year. He fanned a season-high nine batters in an 8-1 win over Washington and Lee University in the first weekend of the tournament, working 7.2 innings of four-hit ball on the way to victory.

Jones is in his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater. This is the second straight season and third time overall that he has been honored with ODAC top coaching laurels, joining the award he earned as Washington and Lee University's head coach in 2016. Lynchburg, ranked seventh in the country in the D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll, is currently 34-8 on the season. The Hornets enter the final weekend of the ODAC Tournament as the #1 seed in the double-elimination title-determining series at Truist Point in High Point, N.C. Jones career record stands at 170-101 (.627) overall and 116-73 (.614) at Lynchburg.

Mattfield, a sophomore from Suffolk, Va., combines this award with a selection to the All-ODAC First Team. After missing his freshman season due to injury, Mattfield responded with a 9-0 record in 12 starts entering the final weekend. That victory total is the second-highest in the conference. Mattfield owns a 2.78 ERA over 64.2 innings of work. He has surrendered just 13 walks and 50 hits, allowing opposing batters to hit at a .208 clip. He has struck out 57 batters.

Bucher, a senior from Stephens City, Va., pairs this honor with a selection to the All-ODAC Third Team. In the classroom, Bucher finished his undergrad career in three years with a 3.7 grade point average as a major in exercise science. He has continued that academic success in grad school, boasting a 3.9 GPA wile pursuing a Master's of Public Health degree. This summer, he plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. Bucher is a four-time Dean's List honoree and was named to the Shenandoah President's List in 2020. He has been a member of SU's SAAC since 2018. The Academic All-State honoree is a perennial member of the All-ODAC Academic Team.

On the field, Bucher has moved all over the field during his career, earning All-ODAC First Team honors at third base in 2021 before transition to first base this year. He enters the final weekend of the ODAC Tournament ranked first in the conference in hits (68), fifth in batting (.391), and sixth in total bases (98). He owns a .446 OBP and a .563 SLG powered by 18 extra-base hits. Bucher has hit safely in 38-of-42 games played. He is currently riding a 28-game hitting straight dating back to March 13th. He is hitting an even .400 (48-of-120) during his streak.

Listed below is the full set of All-ODAC Baseball Awards.  For more information, visit the websites of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2022 ALL-ODAC BASEBALL AWARDS
ODAC Player of the Year: Avery Neaves, Jr., OF, Lynchburg
ODAC Pitcher of the Year: Reid Long, So., SP, Bridgewater
ODAC Coach of the Year: Lucas Jones, Lynchburg
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Nick Mattfield, So., SP, Lynchburg
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete: Pearce Bucher, Gr., 1B, Shenandoah