Vance Honeycutt earned one last national honor before heading to the Major League Baseball Draft. The UNC junior center fielder was named a Gold Glove Award winner by Rawlings and the American Baseball Coaches Association as one of the best defensive players in the country.

Honeycutt is the first Tar Heel ever to be named a Gold Glove winner. He is a two-time winner of the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. He totaled 16.85 defensive runs saved in 2024, the second-highest among all Division 1 players and the highest among all outfielders.

All 177 of Honeycutt’s career starts have come in center field. In his three seasons, he never posted a fielding percentage lower than .983. He made just eight errors combined across those three seasons and totaled 10 outfield assists (five in 2024). Honeycutt is projected to be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft, which will begin on July 14 in Fort Worth, TX.

Two other Tar Heels were named Gold Glove finalists at their positions: pitcher Shea Sprague and second baseman Alex Madera.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Ainsley E. Fauth

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