FLORENCE, SC – Redshirt junior right fielder Charlie Bussey III was named National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) and Division II Conference Commissioners' Association (D2CCA) Southeast Region Player of the Year, as announced by the organizations this week.
Additionally, four Patriots secured all-region honors across the two organizations: Bussey III, junior designated player Ethan McAnally, senior Riley Orr, and senior Will Dorrell.
Ninth-ranked Francis Marion (45-12) will play third-ranked Catawba College (45-11) in the NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional this week in Salisbury, N.C. The best two-out-of-three series will feature single games on Thursday, Friday, and if necessary Saturday, all starting at 6 p.m.
Bussey III captured NCBWA and D2CCA Southeast Region Player of the Year honors as well as first-team All-Region status in the outfield. He garnered Conference Carolinas Player of the Year honors for a second-straight year, becoming just the second player to achieve the honor in league history. Additionally, Bussey III was named first-team all-conference and was selected to the Conference Carolinas All-Defensive Team as a right fielder.
A native of Graniteville, S.C., Bussey III has delivered arguably one of the best seasons in NCAA Division II baseball history. He is one of only three players in DII history to eclipse 100 hits and 100 runs scored in a single season, joining Joe Dimberger, Colorado Mesa (2004), and Mackenzie Wainwright, Lenoir-Rhyne (2025). Bussey III leads the country in batting average (.484), hits (106), and runs scored (112), while ranking second in on-base percentage (.601) and third in total bases (189). He has reached base safely in 55 of 57 games played while leading the team with 35 multi-hit games. In the field, Bussey boasts a .991 fielding percentage with just two errors all season while playing first base and all three outfield spots. He is the program's all-time home run leader with 34 and has set single-season records for hits, runs scored, and total bases.
McAnally garnered NCWBA and D2CCA first-team All-Region in his first season with the Patriots. The Conference Carolinas first-team selection ranks second in NCAA Division II with 97 runs batted in and seventh in runs scored (82). McAnally also sits fifth in total bases (179) and eighth in homers (22). In 57 starts, he is batting a staggering .421 at the plate with 90 hits while boasting a .836 slugging percentage. McAnally paces the team with 25 multi-RBI games and is currently riding a 42-game reached base streak. He has reached base safely in 55 of 57 games while setting the FMU single-season record in home runs and runs batted in.
A native of Maryville, Tenn., Orr received D2CCA First-Team All-Region honors at utility/non-pitcher after starting all 57 games this season (30 first base, 27 outfield). He is an All-Conference Carolinas selection and was tabbed Conference Carolinas Player of the Week twice. Orr ranks 10th in the NCAA Division II with 78 runs batted in, while ranking among the top-five in the Conference Carolinas in doubles (21), hit by pitches (23), and stolen bases (20). He has registered 23 multi-RBI games and holds a .980 fielding percentage with just five errors.
Dorrell, a native of Rock Hill, S.C., was tabbed to the D2CCA All-Region second-team as a utility/non-pitcher after starting all 57 contests (28 outfield, 19 third base, 10 second base). He was a 2026 All-Conference Carolinas selection and posted an impressive 62-game reached base streak that spanned over two seasons. Dorrell ranks ninth in the conference in hits (87) and 16th with 62 runs scored. He is third on the team with 26 multi-hit games and fourth with 13 multi-RBI performances.
Bussey III is a sports management major and a product of Aquinas High School, while McAnally is majoring in mechanical engineering and is a graduate of J.M. Tate High School. Orr is majoring in sport management and is a product of Maryville High School, while Dorrell is majoring in business and is a graduate of Northwestern High School.
