2023 ACC baseball predictions, projected finishes

(Editor's note: The following was first published on d1baseball.com. The original includes capsule previews of every ACC team, top prospects and team by team breakdowns. Use code Save23 for a discounted subscription.)

D1Baseball.com previews the 2023 ACC baseball season. They project the ACC’s final standings, regional teams, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Wake Forest is the predicted top team in the ACC this year, but UNC, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Virginia lead a large group of dangerous contenders.

RANKINGS: View the full baseball preseason top 25 poll

Projected order of finish/projected regional teams

*Teams are listed in order of projected finish. Bold indicates 2022 regional teams.

Preseason awards

Player of the Year: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina

Honeycutt is the superstar, the premier speed/power threat in college baseball, coming off a sensational freshman year during which he smashed 25 home runs and stole 29 bases in 34 tries. He picked up right where he left off in the early-fall scrimmage against Walters State, walking and stealing a base in his first at-bat, then ripping a three-run homer to the oppo gap in his second trip, then using his speed again to leg out an infield single in his fourth AB. The only knock on Honeycutt last year was his high strikeout rate, and he’s working to improve in that area. -- Excerpt written by D1Baseball.com's Aaron Fitt

Pitcher of the Year: Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest

The Deacons shut down  this fall after he logged 99.1 innings last spring (going 11-3, 3.08 with a 105-26 K-BB mark) and then served as Team USA’s ace in the summer, but he’s the definition of a proven commodity, with three legitimate out pitches in a 92-95 fastball, a deceptive changeup with excellent fade and arm speed, and a sharp 82-84 slider with tight tilt. -- Excerpt written by D1Baseball.com's Aaron Fitt

Freshman of the Year: Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State

Cam Smith is our pick for ACC Freshman of the Year after dazzling this fall in all phases of the game. He’s a loose, live athlete with lightning-fast hands that give him serious raw power, but he also has a mature approach at the plate. And he’s an agile defender at the hot corner with a strong arm. 

Read D1Baseball.com's full ACC preview here.