Five Eagles receive All-Region honors

RALEIGH, NC — Five Wake Tech Baseball players received Region 10 Division II Awards today, with Jason Jelic (C, Soph.), Kaden Smith (INF, Soph.), and Andrew Holub (INF, Soph.) named to the All-Region First Team, Sawyer Smith (RHP, Soph.) named to the All-Region Second Team, and Will Hovey (2B, Soph.) named to the All-Defensive Team. 

Jason Jelic, Catcher, All-Region First Team, First Team West Division

Jelic had a stellar sophomore season as the Eagles' backstop, finishing the year slashing .352/.481/.679, hitting a Region 10-best and program record 13 home runs. His best performance of the season came in a three-game series against Guilford Tech where he went 9-for-15 at the plate with four home runs and nine RBIs, with all of the home runs and RBIs on the same day. Jelic is committed to play for Xavier University next season in Cincinnati. 

Kaden Smith, Infielder, All-Region First Team, First Team West Division

Kaden Smith sat atop the leaderboard alongside Jelic with 13 home runs and was one of only five Region 10 DII players to finish the regular season with a batting average (.406) above .400. He led the team with a .513 on-base percentage, drawing 30 walks throughout the campaign to go with his 63 hits and seven hits by pitches. On March 25 against Cleveland, Smith went 5-for-5 at the plate with 5 RBI in a 10-4 win over the Yetis. Smith is committed to play at Charleston Southern University next season.

Andrew Holub, Infielder, All-Region First Team, First Team West Division

Holub led all of Region 10 DII in hits (77) and was second in batting average (.433). He finished the year slashing .433/.490/.719. While his season will be remembered mainly for his hitting prowess, Holub also managed to steal 27 bases while being caught only once, good for sixth in Region 10. Holub also recorded a five-hit game, doing so in an 11-7 win on April 24 against Louisburg. He had four consecutive games with a home run from February 18 to February 25. Holub is committed to play for the University of Iowa next season. 

Sawyer Smith, Pitcher, All-Region Second Team, First Team West Division

Sawyer Smith had an incredible season on the mound for Wake Tech, throwing a team-high 69 innings and recording a region-high 73 strikeouts. Smith made 16 appearances on the mound including 13 starts, and recorded four complete games. He recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in just five innings of work against Southwest Virginia in a 14-0 win on March 2, and pitched a nine inning complete game in an 8-3 win on the road against nationally-ranked Patrick & Henry.

Will Hovey, Second Baseman, All-Defensive Team

Hovey was named to the All-Defensive Team for his work as the Eagles' second baseman this season. He finished the year with 72 putouts, 79 assists, and a .956 fielding percentage, appearing in 45 of the team's 49 games.