FARMVILLE, Va. – Eliot Dix and Gregory Ryan, Jr. spent the past season as the heart of the order for Longwood baseball, and Ryan Miller was one of the top starting pitchers in the Big South all season long. The Big South Conference recognized that trio, plus freshman standout Ethan Walker and reliever Dominick D'Ercole, on Wednesday morning.
 
Dix earned All-Big South First Team honors, and Ryan earned a spot on the All-Big South Second Team. Miller earned a slot as an All-Big South Honorable Mention, and Walker was named to the Big South All-Freshman Team. D'Ercole was named All-Academic Team.
 
For Dix, he earned his third straight All-Big South honor, becoming the first player in team history to earn three consecutive All-Big South honors. It was his first time on the All-Big South First Team after being named to the second team in each of the past two seasons.
 
Dix spent the year as the top hitter for the Lancers with a .347 batting average that ranked eighth in the Big South. He was tied for seventh in the league with a team-best 69 hits, and he was second on the team in both runs (39) and RBI (32). He was second on the team with 13 doubles and six homers, and he added seven stolen bases as well.
 
The redshirt-junior had a whopping 23 multi-hit games, and he was the only player on the team with at least 20. He had more multi-hit games than games without a hit (19). In addition, he reached base safely in the final 16 games of the season, tied for the team's longest streak on the year. He also was the Big South Player of the Week once this season.
 
With Dix on base constantly, Ryan spent the season knocking him in. The redshirt-senior had one of the most prolific RBI seasons in team history. His 63 RBI ranked fourth in a single season in the program record books, and he tied for second in the Big South in RBI. Plus, he batted .327 while starting every game, the only player to do so.
 
Half of Ryan's 63 base hits were for extra bases, and he was in the top 10 in the Big South in six offensive categories. His five triples led the league, and he added 13 home runs (tied for sixth) and 14 doubles (tied for 10^th). In addition, his slugging percentage (.639, fifth) and OPS (1.029, seventh) also were among the league leaders.
 
He had three five-RBI games and a total of 16 multi-RBI games. No one else on the team had more than nine multi-RBI games. His seven RBI game on May 14 against Presbyterian, where he finished a double short of the cycle, was one RBI shy of the team's single-game record. The shortstop also had 18 multi-hit games and was the Big South Player of the Week once.
 
Miller became the first Lancer pitcher since 2017 to earn an all-conference nod, and he was Longwood's most consistent weekend starter throughout the season. The righthander ranked fourth in the Big South with a 4.08 ERA, and he was ninth with 68.1 innings pitched.
 
The graduate transfer had seven starts where he struck out at least five batters, and he finished the season 4-6 in 13 appearances, all starts. He had a trio of wins in conference play, including a 6.0 inning performance against No. 14 Campbell. He earned the win in what was Longwood's highest ranked win in team history while only giving up one run in the outing. He closed the regular season with a complete game against Winthrop. Despite taking a tough luck loss, it was the team's first complete game since 2019.
 
Walker grew throughout the season and transitioned from working out of the bullpen to working as a weekend starter by the end of the year. The freshman lefthander posted a 4.01 ERA over 42.2 innings with a 3-0 record in 17 appearances with nine starts. He struck out 40 while holding opponents to a .233 batting average.
 
After making eight relief appearances to start the year, he earned his first collegiate start and win at Richmond on March 28. That helped Longwood complete a season sweep of their in-state rivals for the first time in team history, and he went a career best 5.1 innings while striking out three and only giving up two runs in the outing.
 
He also earned wins against Norfolk State and Radford, with his Radford start serving as his finest start of the season on April 29. He limited the Highlanders to one infield hit in 5.0 scoreless innings while striking out three without a walk. He was the Big South Freshman of the Week twice.
 
D'Ercole served as Longwood's top reliever throughout the season, and he earned a spot on the All-Academic Team with a 3.77 GPA. He was tied for fifth in the Big South with four saves.
 
The redshirt-junior also led the bullpen with 20 relief appearances while going 2-1 with a 4.59 ERA in 33.1 innings of work. He struck out 24 to only 13 walks and was the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week once. Twelve of his 20 appearances were for multiple innings, and he didn't allowe a run in his final four appearances.
 
For the Lancers, it is the first time they have had an all-freshman selection, and the team also had three all-conference team members for a second straight season.
 
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