Jonny Butler Named ACC Scholar-Athlete Of The Year

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jonny Butler has been named the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced on Thursday by the league office.

He becomes the second NC State baseball player to earn the distinction, as Brian Brown was the program's first in 2018. This also marks Butler's second time in his career earning All-ACC Academic Team honors.

Additionally, Sam Highfill, Reid Johnston, Evan Justice and Austin Murr were all named to the 2021 All-ACC Academic Team for the first time in their careers. The five players on this year's team ties the most in a single season to be represented by NC State on the list, as the Wolfpack also had five in 2015 and '16 earn the honor.

The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.

JONNY BUTLER | OF | CHANNAHON, ILL. | ACCOUNTING
Butler emerged as the ACC batting average champion (.376) and ranked among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.663) and on-base percentage (.452).

Butler collected First-Team All-ACC honors and All-America honors from four publications after finishing the regular season with a batting average of .406. He was one of the most dangerous hitters in the country down the stretch, turning in 11 consecutive multi-hit games to conclude the regular season. 

In NCAA Tournament play he went 10-for-32 (.313) with a team-high 12 runs batted in, highlighted by a 3-for-4 outing with a home run and career-best five RBIs in his College World Series debut versus Stanford on June 19.

SAM HIGHFILL | P | APEX, N.C. | BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Highfill had a sensational first full season with the Wolfpack, making a team-leading 16 starts in as many appearances on the mound. He led the pitching staff with a 3.66 earned-run average and 9-2 record, and ranked second on the team with 84 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched.

In his last 10 starts on the season, the result was a win for the Wolfpack as he went at least five innings in nine of those outings.

In the College World Series, he pitched a two-hit shutout in a career-long 7.1 innings and then went 3-for-4 at the plate in back-to-back games (June 21 and 25) against 2019 National Champion Vanderbilt.

REID JOHNSTON | P | ENFIELD, N.C. | SPORT MANAGEMENT
Johnston was one of the most consistent pitchers on the team this year, going at least six innings in 11 of his 12 starts. A Third Team All-ACC selection, he led the team with 96 strikeouts in 96.2 innings pitched, and compiled a 4.47 ERA with a 9-3 record.

In his first start of the season on March 26, he threw a complete game in the Pack's 9-2 win at North Carolina, which was the second of his career. He additionally picked up six straight wins on the mound between April 25 and June 4, surrendering just 16 earned runs in that span of 42.1 innings.

EVAN JUSTICE | P | RICHMOND, VA. | SPORT MANAGEMENT
Justice, who was named an All-American by two publications and tabbed Third Team All-ACC, served as a part of the Pack's starting rotation in the early part of the season but transitioned back into a reliever role in the latter part. From March 29 to the conclusion of the season, he made 20 appearances out of the bullpen and compiled a 1.85 ERA in 43.2 innings with four wins and 13 saves.

His 13 saves ranked second in the ACC and fourth in the NCAA. Additionally, that number stands as the third-most in a single season in program history, as Jamie Wolkosky (1992) holds the school record with 15.

AUSTIN MURR | IF | DENMARK TOWNSHIP, MINN. | SPORT MANAGEMENT
Murr made 53 starts in 54 appearances this season, missing just two games due to injury.

A Second Team All-ACC recipient and Gold Glove Award winner, the first baseman slashed .319/.504/.376 on the year and finished among the top three on the team in five different offensive categories, highlighted by a team-leading 21 doubles and three triples. He was an essential piece to the Wolfpack's postseason run, as he batted .351 (13-for-37) through nine games and scored a team-leading seven runs. 

In his Wolfpack career he did not make an error in 71 games played (70 starts).