JACKSON, Miss. - After helping lead Belhaven to its second straight NCAA Regional appearance, two Blazers picked up postseason recognition on the national level as John Wade and Parker Ryan earned D3baseball.com All-Region VI honors.
Wade was named to the All-Region VI First Team as a relief pitcher, while Ryan earned Third Team honors behind the plate following one of the best all-around offensive seasons of his career. The pair helped guide Belhaven to a 31-15 record, a return trip to the CCS Championship Series, and a national ranking that climbed as high as No. 4 in the D3baseball.com poll earlier this season.
Wade became one of the most dependable late-inning arms in the South Region throughout the spring and finished the season among the national leaders in saves. The sophomore appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen, posting a 1.06 ERA with eight saves across 17.0 innings while striking out 25 batters and limiting opponents to a .132 batting average.
His eight saves tied for the CCS lead and ranked among the top totals in Division III baseball for much of the season. Wade finished tied for first in the CCS in saves alongside Piedmont's Luke Manry.
Wade delivered in high-pressure moments throughout conference play and the postseason. He recorded the final outs in multiple series-clinching wins, including Belhaven's sweep of LaGrange earlier in the season and key CCS Tournament victories during the Blazers' run back to the championship series. One of his biggest performances came against LaGrange in April when he secured his eighth save of the season, which at the time ranked second in all of Division III.
The Houma, Louisiana native also earned First Team All-CCS honors earlier this postseason, marking the first all-conference recognition of his career.
Ryan put together one of the strongest offensive years among catchers in the conference while continuing to anchor Belhaven behind the plate. The senior hit .333 with 48 hits, six doubles, six home runs, 28 RBI, and a .514 slugging percentage across 42 games. He also drew 24 walks and finished with a .446 on-base percentage.
Among CCS hitters, Ryan finished near the top of the conference in multiple offensive categories while earning First Team All-CCS honors for the first time in his career.
His season included several clutch moments during conference play and the postseason, including key hits during Belhaven's elimination-game run through the CCS Tournament that helped the Blazers advance back to the championship series for the second straight year.
Ryan also played a major role defensively for a Belhaven pitching staff that recorded 298 strikeouts during the season. He finished with a .986 fielding percentage and caught 13 runners stealing behind the plate.
The Madison, Mississippi native became a steady middle-of-the-order presence throughout the year and helped power a Belhaven offense that hit .311 as a team.
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