Cullowhee, N.C. – Highlighted by four repeat selections from a season ago, Western Carolina baseball today saw five players named to the 2025 Academic All-District® Baseball Team as selected and announced by College Sports Communicators (CSC). Seniors in utility player Jack Spyke and infielder Trent Turner were joined by junior outfielder Hayden Friese and junior RHP Dusty Revis as WCU's four repeat selections, with junior transfer RHP Brandon Langley each earning the regional academic honor.
 
Three Catamounts were denoted in the release as advancing to the national ballot for CSC Academic All-America® to be voted on by the CSC membership, including Langley, Spyke, and Turner. First-, second, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on July 1, 2025, by CSC.
 
WCU's five selections this year match the program's best since the award altered its district voting process three years ago. It's also the fifth straight year WCU has landed a player on the academic all-district squad. Freise, Revis, Spyke, and Turner each earn their second career honors, joining three-time honoree Zach Ketterman and two-time selection former left-handed pitcher Tyler Sexton (2006-08) as WCU's only other multiple award recipient. Sexton received recognition in consecutive seasons in 2007 and 2008.
 
Five Southern Conference schools and a total of 21 SoCon baseball student-athletes were represented among the Academic All-District selections. WCU, Mercer, and UNCG each had five honored, while VMI and Wofford both had three selections apiece. WCUs trio of Langley, Spyke, and Turner were joined by Mercer pitcher Colton Cosper as SoCon representatives on the national Academic All-America® final ballot.
 
Having just completed his third season in a Catamount uniform, Jack Spyke led the Catamounts in batting average at .340 (65-of-191) with a team-leading 19 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs, posting his single-season career highs in doubles and homers. Elected a team captain in the preseason, the Lawrenceville, Ga., product played in 53 of the team's 58 seasonal games with 48 starts, including 22 behind the plate and 26 at first base.
 
Majoring in finance, Spyke has a cumulative grade point average of 3.65. He is a two-time CSC Academic All-District selection and has twice received Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll plaudits. He was also named to the Spring 2024 Academic All-SoCon team, but the awards for 2024-25 have yet to be released.
 
Trent Turner was two-thirds of the way to collecting the elusive WCU Triple Crown, pacing WCU with 14 home runs among his team-high tying 76 base hits, and drove home a team-best 57 RBI. The Waynesville, N.C., native finished with a .325 batting average (76-of-234), including 14 doubles, two triples, and 14 round-trippers. Twice appearing on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List over the last two seasons, Turner was named to the SoCon All-Defensive team as voted on by the league's head coaches.
 
Turner boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.73 while majoring in finance. He is a two-time CSC Academic All-District selection and was named to the 2023-24 SoCon Academic Honor Roll, with this season's honors to be handed out this month.
 
Splitting time between the outfield and first base, Hayden Friese earned his second nod on the CSC All-Academic team this spring. He had a career year in 2025, batting a single-season high .335 (76-for-227). He matched Turner with a team-best 76 base hits, including 11 doubles, a triple, and nine home runs, scoring 54 runs with 47 RBI.
 
Friese is majoring in business administration and law, and carries a 3.69 cumulative GPA. He has twice landed on the SoCon Academic Honor Roll and appeared on the Spring 2024 Academic All-SoCon team.
 
A second-team All-Southern Conference selection as a starting pitcher, Dusty Revis led the Catamounts with seven wins among his 15 starts. The Marion, N.C., native finished second on the WCU staff with 78 strikeouts, seventh-most in the SoCon. He struck out at least two in all 15 appearances, with five or more strikeouts 10 times. He posted a career-low 4.04 ERA over 82.1 innings of work.
 
Revis also made his second appearance on the CSC Academic All-District team, carrying a 3.59 cumulative GPA while majoring in management. He was selected to the 2023-24 SoCon Academic Honor Roll, with this year's team yet to be released.
 
In his first year as a Catamount, Canadian-born closer Brandon Langley made a tremendous impact on the WCU pitching staff. Over 25 seasonal appearances, the hard-throwing right-hander posted a 3.71 ERA with a 2-1 record and eight saves, tied for the most in the SoCon this year and tied for ninth in WCU's single-season record book. Langley finished fourth on the staff with 44 strikeouts, recording at least one punchout in 20 of his 25 appearances. He also made 16 scoreless appearances while limiting the opposition to a .147 batting average against, part of why he was listed on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.
 
Majoring in psychology, Langley has a 3.85 cumulative GPA.
 
After today's announcement of the baseball awards, Western Carolina has put a combined 34 student-athletes on the CSC Academic All-District teams this season to date, including eight from football, six from women's soccer, five from baseball and softball, four from women's tennis and volleyball, and two from the women's basketball team. The postseason academic honors for men's and women's golf, as well as track & field, have yet to be announced this spring.
 
The CSC (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America – or CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team aims to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes baseball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
 
Selections to the 2025 Academic All-District® teams were made from nominations submitted by the communications or sports information professionals at each NCAA member institution. Honorees were required to have posted a 3.50 or better GPA, completed at least two semesters at their current school, played in at least half of their team's competitions, and be considered a starter or key contributor. Freshmen student-athletes were ineligible.
 
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Western Carolina Baseball, Academic All-District Selections:
2025: Hayden Friese, Outfield; Brandon Langley, Pitcher; Dusty Revis, Pitcher; Jack Spyke, Utility; Trent Turner, Infield
2024: Hayden Friese, Outfield; Zach Ketterman, Infield; Dusty Revis, Pitcher; Jack Spyke, Utility; Trent Turner, Infield
2023: Zach Ketterman, Infield; Adam Quincy, Pitcher; Nick Torres, Pitcher
2022: Zach Ketterman, Infield
2021: Daniel Walsh, Infield
2016: Kramer Ferrell, Outfield
2014: Jacob Hoyle, Infield
2010: Tyler Kirkpatrick, Infield
2008: Tyler Sexton, Pitcher
2007: Tyler Sexton, Pitcher
2002: Ryan Schade, Infield
 
Western Carolina Baseball, Academic All-America Selections:
2002: Ryan Schade, 1st team
1993: Rodney Hennon, 1st team
1992: Jack Kimel, 2nd team
1992: Rodney Hennon, 1st team
1986: David Hyatt, 3rd team
1983: Greg Johnson, 1st team
1983: David Hill, 1st team