Surry Baseball and Softball Teams Earn NJCAA All-Academic Honors
Surry Baseball and Softball Teams Earn NJCAA All-Academic Honors
Charlotte, NC - The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) recently announced the 2024-2025 Academic Teams of the Year. Both the Surry baseball and softball teams received distinction of All-Academic teams with a combined grade point average of all team members above a 3.0.
Surry was the only North Carolina Community Colleges to have multiple teams earn All-Academic accolades while having numerous NJCAA All-Americans along with each team being nationally ranked during the year.
"These awards cap an incredible year that saw our athletic program reach new heights both on and off the field," stated Surry athletic director, Mark Tucker. "Our student-athletes have once again proved their commitment to academics while also having incredible success on the field. These awards are a direct reflection of the hard work from our student-athletes and our coaches along with the support from our administration, faculty, and staff. Surry Community College is fortunate to have student-athletes that strive to pursue their educational goals along with coaches that emphasize academic excellence on a daily basis."
The Surry baseball team was third overall among all Region 10 teams with a 3.14 grade point average and had the highest-grade point average among all North Carolina Community College baseball programs. On the diamond, Surry finished as Region 10 and Mid-Atlantic Champions. The Knights finished 5th in the NJCAA Division III World Series in Auburn, New York with a 37-14 overall record while being nationally ranked the entire season. Surry's Elijah Palmer was named a NJCAA All-American along with earning the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
Team members included Abram Apel (Franklin HS), Tre Blankenship (Tazewell HS), Will Bradshaw (Carson HS), Caleb Cheeks (Grayson HS), Caleb Darbutt (Mount Pleasant HS), Konor Davis (Alexander Central HS), Brennan Fleming (Eastern Guilford HS), Cade Gaither (West Iredell HS), Lucas Graham (West Rowan HS), Tate Green (North Iredell HS), Jackson Greene (Hough HS), Nathan Greene (West Rowan HS), Zach Helms (Northwest Cabarrus HS), Randy Holleman (West Iredell HS), Nohr Issa (Starmount HS), Jaden Johnson (A.L. Brown HS), Chase James (Asheville Christian HS), Aaron Jones (South Rowan HS), Brooks Kinser (North Iredell HS), Austin Lapham (Alexander Central HS), Blaze Lawson (North Stokes HS), Evan Lecnar (East Forsyth HS), Ian McHugh (Pocono Mt. West HS), Bryce Mabe (Atkins HS), Leyton McMahon (Asheville Christian HS), Zach McNeely (West Rowan HS), Brett Morris (South Rowan HS), Maddox Nelson (South Stokes HS), Elijah Palmer (West Rowan HS), Sylas Sechrist (Carroll County HS), Aiden Shropshire (Surry Central HS), Emory Taylor (Carson HS), Nolan Tovornik (Carson HS), Colby Umbarger (North Iredell HS), and Clay Whitaker (Surry Central HS).
The Lady Knights finished sixth overall among all Region 10 softball teams and fourth overall among all North Carolina Community College softball programs with a 3.0 grade point average. On the field, the Lady Knights captured the Region 10 championship along with the Appalachian District Championship before finishing 5th in the NJCAA Division III World Series in DeWitt, New York. Surry was ranked as high as 9th nationally by the NJCAA. In addition, Chloe Edwards and Emily Mitchell were named to All-American teams while Payton Campbell earned the Rawlings Gold Glove award.
Team members included Lexie Allen (North Surry HS), Isabella Aparicio (North Surry HS), Payton Campbell (Alexander Central HS), Nichole Cloke (J.M. Robinson HS), Savanah Cloke (J.M. Robinson HS), Chloe Edwards (North Wilkes HS), Carlee Jones (Surry Central HS), Carley Joyner (Forbush HS), Emily Mitchell (South Stokes HS), Jackie Morgan (North Wilkes HS), Carley Puckett (North Surry HS), Jordan Snow (North Surry HS), Emma Sorrell (Forbush HS), and Aria Wilson (Forbush HS).
Surry was also one of only four North Carolina Community Colleges with multiple teams honored by the NJCAA joining Catawba Valley, Sandhills, and Wake Tech.
"We are incredibly proud of our athletic teams for their academic achievements," stated Tucker. "A special thanks to our Academic Support Center staff and academic advisors for all of their assistance. Our student-athletes committed almost 2,000 hours of study hall and tutoring in our ASC this past academic year, which made a significant positive impact. In addition, our coaches are outstanding with putting an emphasis on each student-athlete's academic success."
For a full list of all teams honored, visit https://www.njcaa.org/awards/academic_teams