WALESKA, Ga.— According to a release from the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) office Tuesday evening, the Montreat baseball team saw a pair of individuals claim annual postseason honors. Infielder
Jaider Morelos secured Second Team All-AAC status, while outfielder
Justin Austin landed on the AAC Gold Glove Team.
Morelos led the Cavaliers or tied for a team-high in numerous offensive categories, including hits (48), home runs (8), RBIs (33), runs scored (29), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.599) and hit-by-pitches (11). Slashing .350/.486/.599 across 45 games played, Morelos notched twice as many walks (27) as strikeouts (13). Defensively, the Cartagena, Colombia native racked up 51 putouts and 96 assists in both the infield and outfield.
While he was among the Cavs' best hitters in 2025, Austin also flashed the leather in the outfield. Nominated as a left fielder, Austin took home the AAC Gold Glove Team nod at his position. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native owned a .973 fielding percentage with 68 putouts and five assists. Meanwhile, at the plate, Austin led the squad with a .354 batting average. He also tied Morelos for the team lead with eight homers across 44 contests.
Additionally, Montreat captured 29 spots on the AAC All-Academic Team. Austin,
Nathan Betancourt,
Jason Brulport,
Dawson Bryant,
Ayden Byrd,
Dean Davis,
Kaden Ethier,
Merritt Evans,
Hunter Furches,
Isaiah Galindo,
Connor Goff,
Jayden Hughes,
Nick Kantzavelos,
Nate Kiser,
Zachary Long,
Zeb Marquis,
Manny Moore,
Brody Olivier,
Derek Peterson,
Brett Pitzer,
Hunter Rast,
Chandler Ring,
Christopher Serna,
Devon Smith,
Elijah Stifter,
Logan Strickland,
Stephen Stroupe,
Isaac Vasquez and
Blake Watts hit the requirements needed to garner AAC All-Academic Team recognition. Marquis also represented the Cavaliers on the AAC Champions of Character Team.
To qualify for the AAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must hold at least sophomore academic status and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher. Each institution in the league also received one spot on the AAC Champions of Character Team, and the honorees were chosen by each program's head coach.
For the full list of 2025 AAC baseball awards, click
here.
Montreat continues its WinWon AAC Baseball Tournament journey tomorrow afternoon with another matchup at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn.
