By: Jason Kullman – June 19, 2023 Diamond Prospects is excited to, once again, be able to celebrate the All-Academic Team and award one student-athlete as the Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete of the Year. At DP we spend much of our time chasing physical tools, but as we do each year, we want to honor these young men that take care of business in the classroom too! Thank you to each high school coach and guidance counselor that nominated players with a premium GPA, SAT/ACT and class rank from their school/team. In 2016 the DP Scholar Athlete of the year award was renamed the Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete Award in honor of Tripp Rabon (pictured) of Summerville. Tripp left us far too soon due to a car accident in December of 2015. He was an amazing young man who left a mark on everyone he came across both on the field and off. His success in the classroom was also well-documented and led DP to name the award after him. NEW! The Rabon family recently contacted DP and has now set up the Inaugural Tripp Rabon Scholarship Fund to honor their son’s memory, our winner will now be the recipient of a $1,000 check for their classwork exploits! Since our first All-Academic Team in 2007, Furman and Clemson have both received commitments from four Tripp Rabon Scholar Athletes. South Carolina, The Citadel, Wofford, Newberry and Coastal Carolina are the other schools to have signed recipients of the award in the past. These colleges have focused on not just the best on the field but the brightest off of it. Now it is time to reveal who this year’s Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete is, along with the entire 2023 DP All-Academic Team… -DP’s Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete of the Year- Rush Sheppard – Greenville High School, Wofford College – Class of 2023: Diamond Prospects is excited to announce Rush Sheppard as the 2023 Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete of the Year. Rush excelled both on and off the field during his time at Greenville HS, earning All-Region honors this spring following an injury-plagued sophomore and junior seasons. But the reason Shepherd is being honored on this page is for his prowess in the classroom throughout his high school career sporting a 5.36 weighted GPA and scored 1400 on the SAT. While attending Palmetto Boys State is an honor, Sheppard walked away with the highly-distinguished Citizen Award in 2022, which allowed him to be a Junior Counselor at this June’s event. There’s even more on the resume: Wofford Scholar, JF Lucas Red Raider Spirit Award, Highest Math ACT at GHS, Economics Student of the Year and for good measure, a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship. Sheppard is the second Tripp Rabon winner to attend Wofford (Taylor Rozier, 2009) for his career path. Once again, congratulations to Rush Sheppard on winning the award and for becoming the first recipient of the Tripp Rabon Scholarship gift from the Rabon family! Now, it’s time for DP’s unveiling of the entire 2023 All-Academic team. Congratulations to all the deserving players who continue to put hard work in on the diamond, while simultaneously excelling in the classroom. 2023 All-Academic Team NameSchoolGrad YrGPASATACTClass RankChase StaleySpartanburgSr5.101360–9Chas WelchDormanSr4.82––85Charlie MarchbanksRiversideJr5.1313402524Luke WestrolRiversideJr4.7813203070Dru NelsonRiversideJr4.741050–74James KakarasRiversideJr4.651130–94Dylan WillisRiversideSr4.551140–134Braxton PaxtonEasleyJr3.96––27Connor HambyEasleyJr3.89––44*Gavin HarveyEasleySr3.88––32Kaleb OwensEasleyJr3.84––57Malcolm WebbBeaufortJr5.011310–7Nathan WrigleyCane BaySr5.141340–11Bryson NuckolsNorth AugustaSr5.111200–14Bre’Yon BurgessLake CitySr3.76–––Octavian McKnightLake CitySr3.85–––Hayden JohnsonSocasteeSr4.911080–35Austin LloydGray CollegiateSr4.92––25*Jackson McCoyCarolina ForestSr4.95–2227/559Brad WohlersCarolina ForestSr4.09110021174/559*Josh WatsonCarolina ForestSr3.96890–214/559Nolan AlexanderCarolina ForestJr4.841140–27/654Max StefanchikCarolina ForestSr4.461230–101/559*Andrew BuffkinCarolina ForestSr4.07124018180/559*Bryson ButlerCarolina ForestSr4.13–28163/559Evan MoonPowdersvilleJr,4.8012702448/217Wyatt LunsfordDormanJr5.171260––Campbell WhitenerDormanJr4.951290––Josh BrownDormanJr4.751070––Mitchell PowellDormanJr4.81040––Mitch WilsonDormanJr4.721110––Clay CrossleyDormanJr4.61–16–Rush SheppardGreenvilleSr5.321400–11/338Cameron BarnhardtGreenvilleSr5.181380–26/338Scott HardyGilbertJr5.0610702311/252Eli BeardenEmeraldSr3.85––76Braxton HillEmeraldSr4.71––30Tyler RuddEmeraldSr4.74––29Calvin HendersonEmeraldSr4.26––52Bradlee JonesEmeraldSr3.74––84Christian CarruthEmeraldSr4.05––49 *Denotes previous winner DP Note I: Only Junior and Seniors were considered for the All-Academic Team. DP Note II: SAT score is just Math and Verbal portions only. DP Note III: Special thanks to all the HS coaches who rounded up this academic info for their kids so that we could recognize them! -Previous Winners- YearNameHigh SchoolCollege2023Rush SheppardGreenvilleWofford2022Aryan PatelHanahanThe Citadel2021 Ben FreemanEasleyNewberry2020Covid…––2019Travis Lott Stratford The Citadel 2018Bryce CoxTL HannaClemson2017Bo TaylorSouth PointeCoastal Carolina2016Wilson BeattieSummervilleSouth Carolina2015Chase BelkWilson HallFurman2014Matthew BridgesGreenwoodClemson2013Matthew QuarlesEmeraldFurman2012Weber PikeBeaufortSouth Carolina2011Patrick AndrewsHilton Head PrepClemson2010Alex Abrams Bishop EnglandFurman2009Taylor RozierNorth AugustaWofford2008David HaseldenSpartanburgClemson2007Brian HarrisonHilton HeadFurman
