JACKSON, Miss. – Belhaven closer John Wade added another major honor to his standout sophomore season on Tuesday, earning D3baseball.com First Team All-America recognition after emerging as one of the top relief pitchers in Division III this spring.

He is one of five relief pitchers to earn D3Baseball.com All-American honors, and the lone first teamer in NCAA Division III.

Wade becomes the fourth All-American in program history and continues a recent run of national recognition for the Blazers on the mound.

Belhaven D3baseball.com All-Americans

• 2026 – John Wade, First Team
• 2024 – Brett Sanchez, Second Team
• 2023 – Brett Sanchez, National Pitcher of the Year, First Team
• 2022 – Brett Sanchez, Second Team

Wade was one of the most reliable bullpen arms in the country throughout the 2026 season and played a major role in helping Belhaven reach the NCAA Tournament for the second conesecutive season.

The Houma, Louisiana native finished the season with eight saves, tied for the CCS lead and among the national leaders for much of the year. He posted a 2.08 ERA across 34.2 innings while striking out 44 batters and limiting opponents to a .205 batting average.

He consistently delivered in high-pressure situations throughout conference play and the postseason, often working multiple innings to help the Blazers close out key wins.

Earlier this season, Wade earned First Team All-CCS honors and was also named D3Baseball.com First Team All-Region VI earlier this week after anchoring a Belhaven pitching staff that helped the Blazers win 31 games and advance to the CCS Championship Series for the second consecutive season.

Many of Wade's biggest moments came when the team needed him most.

He picked up his eighth save of the season during Belhaven's series sweep of LaGrange in April, a mark that ranked second in Division III at the time. He also recorded critical postseason outs during the CCS Tournament as the Blazers fought through the elimination bracket to reach the conference championship series.

Wade and the Blazers climbed as high as No. 4 in the D3baseball.com Top 25 earlier this spring, the highest ranking in program history.

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