Jax State baseball lands three yearly awards from Conference USA

Jacksonville State baseball is heading into the Conference USA tournament with serious momentum after securing a trio of major yearly awards and a haul of all-conference selections. The accolades, reported by 205focus.com, reflect a stellar campaign for the Gamecocks.

Top Honors for the Gamecocks

Infielder Jaxon Pate headline the honors as the CUSA Freshman of the Year. Behind the scenes, head coach Steve Bieser was named the Keith LeClair Coach of the Year, while pitching coach Ryan Kramer took home the CUSA Assistant Coach of the Year award.

Pate has been a standout performer, batting .344—the fourth-best average among qualified conference players—and maintaining a .461 on-base percentage. The Calhoun, Ga. native has tallied 64 hits and 28 RBIs during a breakthrough season.

Bieser’s leadership has been instrumental, guiding the Gamecocks to a CUSA regular-season title and an impressive 42-13 overall record. This achievement marks the program’s first 40-win season since their move to the Division I level. Kramer, who joined the staff in December 2025, has transformed the pitching staff, which currently boasts a 3.68 ERA and averages 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

All-Conference Recognition

Beyond the individual awards, Jax State dominated the all-conference rosters with four first-team nods and five second-team selections. Joining Pate on the first team are catcher Grayson Ashe, starting pitcher Eli Pillsbury, and relief pitcher Skyler Hutto. The second team features infielders Caleb Johnson and Trey King, starting pitchers Beau Bryans and Steven Cash, and reliever Maddox McDougall.

Tournament Outlook

The Gamecocks look to keep their winning ways alive as they open the Conference USA tournament this Thursday at 12:30 p.m. against No. 9-seeded Middle Tennessee. They wrap up pool play on Friday at 12:30 p.m. against No. 6 Western Kentucky. The top team from each pool, plus a wild card, will advance to the single-elimination bracket.

CUSA Yearly Award Winners and All-Conference

Player and Defensive Player of the Year: Tanner Marsh, Liberty
Pitcher of the Year: Ben Blair, Liberty
Newcomer of the Year: Declan Dahl, LA Tech
Freshman of the Year: Jaxon Pate, Jax State
Keith LeClair Coach of the Year: Steve Bieser, Jax State
Assistant Coach of the Year: Ryan Kramer, Jax State

First Team All-CUSA

• C: Grayson Ashe, Jax State
• INF: Chayton Krauss, DBU
• INF: Tanner Marsh, Liberty
• INF: Logan Fyffe, Missouri State
• INF: Lane Arroyos, WKU
• OF: Jake Bennett, DBU
• OF: Jaxon Pate, Jax State
• OF: Nick Barone, Liberty
• DH: Luke Pettitte, DBU
• SP: Eli Pillsbury, Jax State
• SP: Ben Blair, Liberty
• SP: Declan Dahl, LA Tech
• SP: Ryan Peterson, Sam Houston
• RP: Skyler Hutto, Jax State
• RP: Daniel Powell, Kennesaw State
• UT: Curry Sutherland, Missouri State

Second Team All-CUSA

• C: Tyler Minnick, MTSU
• INF: Evan Bouldin, Delaware
• INF: Caleb Johnson, Jax State
• INF: Trey King, Jax State
• INF: Trey Hawsey, LA Tech
• OF: Dylan Schlaegel, DBU
• OF: Owen Nowak, MTSU
• OF: Jonatan Clough, NM State
• DH: Layne Akers, MTSU
• SP: Liam Watt, DBU
• SP: Beau Bryans, Jax State
• SP: Steven Cash, Jax State
• SP: Bradley Zayac, Liberty
• RP: Maddox McDougall, Jax State
• RP: Cooper Harrington, Liberty
• UT: Cooper Williams, Kennesaw State