Five Catamounts Honored in SoCon Postseason Awards

Cullowhee, N.C. – Led by first-team All-Southern Conference selections Jack Spyke and Wyatt Stanley, Western Carolina baseball had five players receive a combined six honors on Tuesday as the conference released its postseason awards ahead of this week's tournament, as voted on by the league's head coaches.

Starting pitcher Dusty Revis joined Spyke and Stanley with a second-team all-conference accolade, with shortstop Trent Turner collecting All-SoCon Defensive Team honors. Stanley, a redshirt freshman who did not see action in 2024, was joined by true freshman Trey Spees on the SoCon All-Freshman team.

The 2025 All-SoCon teams and postseason awards were voted on by the league's eight head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their student-athletes.

A senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., Jack Spyke finished the regular season batting a team-best .339, including a .342 average in SoCon play. He recorded 58 hits, including 24 for extra bases with 18 doubles to rank tied for second in the SoCon, a triple, and five home runs. He scored 40 runs and drove in 35. Adding 28 walks and three HBPs, Spyke has a .436 on-base percentage. He enjoyed a team-long 23-game reached-base safely streak that featured a 12-game hitting streak for WCU.

Named All-SoCon as a catcher, Spyke finished the regular season with 23 games played at first base and 21 behind the plate, splitting time with Noah Quarless and Cam Murray.

Spyke closed his regular-season finale with a career first as he hit for the cycle in the road win at UNCG to lock in fifth place. He singled in the first inning before belting a two-run homer in the second. He legged out his team-leading 18th double of the season in the sixth inning before tacking on a pair of insurance markers with his second career triple to center field. It was just the fourth cycle for WCU since 2014, and the first since Bryson Bowman accomplished the feat in 2017.

Wyatt Stanley was recognized twice by the league's head coaches, dubbed first-team All-SoCon as the designated hitter, and selected to the SoCon All-Freshman team. The High Point, N.C., product finished the regular season second on the team among the regulars with a .331 batting average with 43 hits, including 19 for extra bases – 16 doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He led the Catamounts in SoCon games, batting .348 (23-of-66) with six doubles and a homer against league competition.

In the three-game series against The Citadel, Stanley collected three three-hit efforts as he thrice went 3-for-5 and collected eight total RBI.

During the season, Stanley posted a career-long, seven-game hitting streak. He has six multi-hit games and six games with multiple RBI. Of his 40 games started this year, 35 came as the designated hitter with five starts at first base. He enters the conference tournament riding a seven-game reached base safely streak. He was second on the squad with 23 two-out RBI.

A preseason all-conference selection, junior RHP Dusty Revis received second-team All-SoCon plaudits following the year. Revis finished the season with a 6-5 season record, the most wins on the Catamount pitching staff. He was second on the team with 74 combined strikeouts, fifth-best in the league, with 24 of his punchouts looking, the fourth-most in the SoCon over his 77.1 innings of work.

A product of Marion, N.C., Revis recorded at least two strikeouts in all 14 of his starts this season, and fanned five or more 10 times, including a career-high nine against Gardner-Webb in early April. He also limited opponents to a .238 batting average against

Trent Turner landed on the postseason SoCon All-Defensive team among the 2025 postseason awards released Tuesday. The Waynesville, N.C., native led the Catamounts as part of turning 28 double-plays this year. In 233 chances, he posted 78 putouts and 143 total assists on a .948 fielding percentage at shortstop. Turner was selected for the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List – an honor that goes to the nation's top shortstop – for a second consecutive year.

Offensively, Turner again posted all-conference caliber numbers for the Catamounts. He enters the tournament continuing to chase WCU's triple crown for leading the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI. He heads to Greenville, S.C., third on the squad in batting average at .327, while leading WCU with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. Combined, Turner has 28 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles, a triple, and a team-best career-high 13 home runs that rank him ninth in the league.

Turner enjoyed a team-long 15-game hitting streak as part of a 17-game run of reaching base safely this season. He also paces WCU with 25 multi-hit games and 14 games with multiple RBI. Turner has been hit by a pitch a team-high-tying 10 times, and he has five stolen bases.

Pressed into playing after the plan had been to platoon with classmate Jaylen Jones at second base, freshman Trey Spees joined Stanley on the SoCon All-Freshman team. Spees closed the regular season batting .282 with 46 base hits, including 11 for extra bases with six doubles, a triple, and four home runs. He has 37 runs scored and 28 RBI through 52 games and 48 starts for the Catamounts. Spees had a six-game hitting streak this season, but boasted a 17-game reached base safely streak.

In the field, Spees has been part of turning 20 double plays and has 70 putouts and 85 assists in 160 total chances at second base.

Regular-season champion and No. 1 seed in this week's postseason tournament, ETSU cleaned up with four of the five specialty awards and eight players between the first and second-team All-SoCon. The Bucs put two on the All-Defensive team and one on the All-Freshman squad. Infielder Cooper Torres was named the SoCon's Player of the Year, while teammate Brady Frederick was named the conference's Pitcher of the Year. Freshman Axel Melendez took home the top rookie prize, while head coach Joe Pennucci was elected SoCon Coach of the Year by his peers.

Bradly Frye of Mercer headlined the SoCon all-defensive team, receiving the Golden Glove Award to wrap up the five specialty honors.

ETSU led all teams with eight players between the first and second teams, four aside. Second-place Samford was second with seven honorees, two on the first team and a league-best five on the second team. WCU, VMI, and Mercer all had three apiece, with Mercer's all coming on the first team while WCU had two first teamers and one on the second. Third-place finishing The Citadel had two honorees, matching seventh-place UNCG, the preseason league favorite.

The Citadel commanded four spots on the All-Defensive team, followed by two apiece from ETSU and Mercer. WCU, UNCG, Samford, and VMI each had one make the SoCon's Golden Glove list. In the freshman count, Samford had a league-best three named to the All-Rookie team, followed by UNCG, WCU, and Wofford each with two apiece, while ETSU and Mercer both had one on the 12-member squad.

Fifth-seeded Western Carolina opens its quest for the 2025 Southern Conference Baseball Championship title on Wednesday, May 21, as the Catamounts raise the curtain against eighth-seed VMI at 3 p.m. at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. General admission day pass tickets for both games are available online (CLICK HERE). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network available online at CatamountSports.com.

Western Carolina's Catamount Club will host a pregame social 90 minutes before each game the Catamounts play in the tournament at Catamount Central, again this year at Mac's Speed Shop (930 S. Main St., Greenville, SC 29601) located near Fluor Field.

The tournament winner earns the league's automatic bid to an NCAA Baseball Regional.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).

Catamount Club - Catamount Central - SoCon Baseball Championship - BANNER

 2025 Southern Conference Baseball – Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: Cooper Torres, ETSU

Pitcher of the Year: Brady Frederick, ETSU

Coach of the Year: Joe Pennucci, ETSU

Freshman of the Year:  Axel Melendez, ETSU

Golden Glove Award (Defensive Player of the Year): Bradley Frye, Mercer

All-Southern Conference First Team:

SP – Carter Fink, ETSU

SP – Jace Hyde, ETSU

SP – Colton Cosper, Mercer

RP – Maddox Webb, The Citadel

RP – Danny Thompson Jr., UNCG

RP – Brady Frederick, ETSU

C – Jack Spyke, Western Carolina

1B – Grayson Fitzwater, VMI

2B – Cooper Torres, ETSU

SS – Bradley Frye, Mercer

3B – Parker McDonald, Samford

OF – Ty Dalley, Mercer

OF – Jamie Palmese, UNCG

OF – Michael Gupton, Samford

DH – Wyatt Stanley, Western Carolina

All-Southern Conference Second Team:

SP – Mason Blasche, Samford

SP – Miller Riggins, Samford

SP – Dusty Revis, Western Carolina

RP – Derek McCarley, ETSU

RP – Josh Leerssen, Samford

RP – Carter Rasmussen, Wofford

C – Cade Carr, Samford

1B – Jackson Harris, Samford

2B – Jeffrey Ince, Samford

SS – Cody Miller, ETSU

3B – Grant Gallagher, ETSU

OF – TJ Anderson, The Citadel

OF – Boston Torres, VMI

OF – Owen Prince, VMI

DH – Lenny Montesano, ETSU

All-Southern Conference Defensive Team:

Phillips Daniels, The Citadel

Garrett Dill, The Citadel

Travis Elliott, The Citadel

Lane Tobin, The Citadel

Tristan Curless, ETSU

Cody Miller, ETSU

Bradley Frye, Mercer

Titan Kamaka, Mercer

Jacob Budzik, UNCG

Jeffrey Ince, Samford

Owen Prince, VMI

Trent Turner, Western Carolina

SoCon All-Conference Freshman Team:

Axel Melendez, ETSU

Collin Ewaldsen, Mercer

JJ Parsons, UNCG

Parker Wight, UNCG

Mason Blasche, Samford

Gus Gandy, Samford

Jake Souders, Samford

Justin Spiegel, VMI

Trey Spees, Western Carolina

Wyatt Stanley, Western Carolina

Cullen Condon, Wofford

Tanner Hardin, Wofford