Rock Hill, S.C. — The Catawba College baseball team earned a league-leading nine all-South Atlantic Conference selections and five All-Defense selections, the league office announced Thursday afternoon.
 
Additionally, Brandon Crabtree was named the SAC Player of the Year, Casey Gouge was named the league's Pitcher of the Year and Jim Gantt earned the SAC's Coach of the Year honor.
 
Crabtree was named the league's Player of the Year and the First Team All-Conference first baseman after a stellar campaign in his first year in Salisbury. He won the league batting title with a batting average of .449, over 20 points higher than the next closest in the league. Crabtree also added a league-leading 20 doubles with 12 homers and 55 RBI to pace the SAC champion Catawba Indian offense. Crabtree also was named the league's All-Defense pick at first base with 296 putouts and 17 assists to two errors.
 
Gouge earned the Pitcher of the Year honors and a First Team All-Conference nod at starting pitcher after a flawless 8-0 record and a league-low 2.38 ERA across 64.1 innings pitched. He racked up 61 strikeouts, while opposing batters were hitting just .227 against him. Gouge added this year's All-Conference and Pitcher of the Year honors to a Third Team All-Conference selection a season ago.
 
Gantt picked up SAC Coach of the Year honors for a league-record 14th time and his third straight. Gantt led Catawba Baseball to its 24th regular season title in program history with a team-record 29 conference wins to just four losses. The SAC regular season title is Catawba's third straight and 15th since 2003.
 
Sam Hunter earned All-SAC honors for the third straight season and a First Team all-conference pick for the first time in his career. Hunter hit a career-best .383 with 14 doubles, three triples and 22 stolen bases. He also added All-Defense honors this season in right field with a perfect fielding percentage and five outfield assists.
 
Jake Dunlap picked up All-SAC First Team honors at designated hitter in his first season on the field with the Catawba Indians. Dunlap ranked second on the team with a .403 batting average with 60 hits, 14 doubles and 37 runs driven in.
 
Joe Burleyson was named the lone All-Conference First Team reliever, as he stepped into the closer role for Catawba nicely in 2026, picking up a league-leading 11 saves, three wins and a 2.03 ERA. Burleyson's 11 saves rank second in the country and one off the national lead.
 
Logan Dyer earned All-SAC Second Team honors in the outfield, boosting his production as a sophomore with a .395 batting average and .515 on-base percentage, manning leadoff duties for much of the season. He ranked second on the team with 60 runs scored, while adding 27 RBI from the leadoff spot.
 
Ty Hubbard picked up All-SAC Second Team honors at second base after a standout senior season in which he hit a career-best .348 at the dish with 19 doubles, ranking second in the SAC only to his Player of the Year teammate. Hubbard added All-Defense honors to his resume for a second straight year with a .988 fielding percentage and a part in 31 double plays.
 
Colt Wilkins added Second Team All-SAC consideration for his second straight all-conference selection following his junior season at Limestone. Wilkins manned Friday night duties for a Catawba pitching staff that ranked tops in the SAC and top 20 in the country in ERA. Wilkins went 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA and a league-leading 79 strikeouts.
 
Hunter Atkins was Catawba's final All-Conference selection, earning Third Team recognition at third base. Atkins hit .307 in his second season in Salisbury with 10 doubles, three triples and four homers with 42 RBI and 20 walks. Atkins also added All-Defense recognition at the hot corner with a .970 fielding percentage and 61 assists.
 
Malachi Cloud added All-Defense honors in center field, where he recorded 102 putouts and two outfield assists while utilizing his speed to cover ground in the gaps.
 
Catawba hosts opening round action of the SAC Baseball Championships on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Catawba Indians first game with 8-seed Coker is set for 2 p.m. on Friday.