Buratt earns Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honors

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Southern States Athletic Conference announced its baseball Scholar-Athlete Team and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Thursday, and Jaxon Buratt, Nathan McDonald, Frank Fernandez, and Drew Lee were all recognized in the process. Buratt earned the highest honor, being named the SSAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 
 

Loyola's four selections are the most for the program since it had five on the 2021 team, and Buratt became the first to win the Scholar-Athlete of the Year title since that year as well. 
 

On top of his 3.53 GPA as a management major, Buratt was named to the All-SSAC First Team, earned an SSAC Gold Glove at third base, and was named the SSAC Baseball Championship MVP after leading the Wolf Pack to their second straight tournament title. He led the team with a .367 batting average, 65 hits, 11 doubles, and four triples. He was also second on the team with 51 RBI and fourth with 46 runs scored. 
 

Lee, who has a 3.77 GPA as a management major, was also an SSAC Gold Glove recipient at the catcher position, and he posted a .303 batting average with 29 RBI and eight doubles. As the team's primary catcher, he made zero errors all season with just eight passed balls. He also caught nine runners trying to steal. 
 

Fernandez has posted a 3.51 GPA as a finance major, and he earned All-SSAC Second Team as one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the league. He made 22 appearances out of the bullpen and posted a 0.92 ERA, which marks the first time in program history that a pitcher has had a sub-1.00 ERA during a season with at least 30 innings logged. He finished the year with 33 strikeouts in 39 innings. 
 

McDonald joins Buratt on the All-SSAC First Team, and he has a 3.34 GPA as a management major. The junior led the team with 51 RBI and 12 home runs, while adding a .348 batting average, 64 hits, 51 runs scored, and 10 doubles.  
 

2026 SSAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete Team

Jaxon Buratt, Loyola - SSAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Jacob Bryant, Blue Mountain Christian
Benji Webb, Blue Mountain Christian
Trevor Murphy, Mobile
Lucas Dufresne, Thomas
Nathan McDonald, Loyola
Samir Rojas, Faulkner
Adrian Salas, Mobile
Frank Fernandez, Loyola
Drew Lee, Loyola
Arwin Burgos, Point