FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University redshirt junior right fielder Charlie Bussey III and junior designated hitter Ethan McAnally both earned spots on the D2 Baseball 2026 All-America Team as first-team selections. It marks the fourth time this postseason that the FMU tandem has garnered All-American recognition. Bussey III was also named National Player of the Year by the organization.

Bussey III and McAnally both achieved consensus First-Team All-American status following the announcement from D2 Baseball, officially being recognized by all four major organizations (ABCA, NCBWA, D2CCA, D2 Baseball). The Francis Marion duo was the best one-two punch in NCAA Division II in 2026 after both athletes shattered several school records, including Bussey III breaking the DII record with 118 runs scored in a season.

As a team, the Patriots finished the year as the seventh-ranked program in the country according to the final D2 Baseball and ABCA national polls. Francis Marion delivered a historic campaign after posting a 46-14 overall mark and setting a new record for wins in a single season. FMU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, its first appearance since 2012, and advanced to its first-ever Super Regional. The Patriots featured one of the best offenses in the nation, leading the country with 669 runs scored, the third-most in Division II history.

A native of Graniteville, S.C., Bussey III led the country in batting average (.489), hits (113), on-base percentage (.604), runs scored (118), and total bases (200) while ranking fifth in slugging percentage (.866) and sixth in walks (57). Bussey III reached base safely in 58-of-60 games played while leading the team with 38 multi-hit games. This season, he became one of only three players in NCAA Division II history to eclipse 100 hits and 100 runs scored in a single season. Additionally, Bussey III was the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year for a second-straight year.

McAnally, a native of Molino, Fla., ranked second in the nation with 104 runs batted in, tied for the second-most in a single season in NCAA Division II baseball history. Additionally, in the national rankings, he sits third in home runs (24), fourth in total bases (190), sixth in runs scored (84), eighth in slugging percentage (.848), and ninth in hits (95). McAnally paced the team with 27 multi-RBI games and finished the year with a 45-game reached base streak. He reached base safely in 58-of-60 games while setting the FMU single-season record in home runs and runs batted in.

Bussey III is a sports management major and a product of Aquinas High School, while McAnally is a mechanical engineering major and a graduate of J.M. Tate High School.

   
 Charlie Bussey III          Ethan McAnally