STATESBORO — The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods announced on June 16th that Nico Senese has been named a finalist at third base for the NCAA Division I Gold Glove team.

In his first year with Southern, Senese was one of just two Eagles to start in every game of the season. Across his 59 games, all at third base, the sophomore recorded 45 putouts and 71 assists. He helped to turn five double plays and only made three errors all season for his .978 fielding percentage.

At the plate, Senese finished with a .236 average with the second-most doubles on the team at 13. He would also finish with a .349 SLG and ten contests with more than one hit.

With the honor, it now marks three Gold Glove finalists in the last four seasons by an Eagle. In 2024, Jarrett Brown was named a finalist for his 118 assists and .960 fielding percentage in the same spot Senese plays. In 2022, Austin Thompson garnered the award at shortstop with his 174 assists and a .980 percentage. 

The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were first recognized in 2007 and are presented annually to the top defensive players from each division of collegiate and high school baseball.