Buratt named SSAC Championship MVP

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A day after the Loyola Wolf Pack claimed their second straight SSAC Championship title, the Southern States Athletic Conference announced its MVP and All-Tournament Team with four honored from the Pack. Jaxon Buratt was named the Most Valuable Player, and he's joined on the 11-man team with Hunter Ponson, Frank Fernandez and Jake Cohen. 
 

Buratt had a .333 batting average in the four games with a .545 on-base percentage, six RBI, five runs, two doubles and three steals. He also had a hit in all four games, as the Wolf Pack went 4-0 in Jackson, Tennessee. The junior started the week with a 1-for-2 outing in the win over Thomas, adding a double and a run scored. He then went 1-for-4 with three walks, two RBI and two runs in the win over Tennessee Southern on Thursday before a 2-for-5 game with four RBI and two runs against No. 19 William Carey to help clinch an NAIA national tournament automatic bid and a spot in the title game. Buratt added another hit in the championship game against No. 17 Abraham Baldwin. 
 

Ponson, who's been known as a bullpen pitcher for Loyola, with an occasional at-bat or start as the designated hitter, was Loyola's first baseman in all but one game last week. In the field, he recorded 24 putouts and an assist without recording an error. At the plate, Ponson was 7-for-16 with four walks and three RBI. The senior had a 3-for-6 game against UT Southern, but his most notable contribution was a solo home run in the championship game against ABAC that broke a scoreless game in the second inning. 
 

Fernandez was nearly flawless in his two outings in the tournament. He pitched the opener against Thomas in relief and had two shutout innings with a couple of strikeouts. His second appearance against William Carey played out a little differently, though. He took the mound in the first inning after the Crusaders took a 2-0 lead, then he pitched the next seven innings while only allowing two more runs to score on 107 pitches. 
 

Cohen earned two saves during the week, including the championship game with a 2.2-inning performance. He faced one over the minimum to help close out the championship and struck out two. He pitched one inning in the tournament opener, and earned the save in that game as well, to help him reach 13 saves this season, which is the most by any Wolf Pack pitcher in a career in program history. 
 

2026 SSAC Baseball All-Tournament Team

Jaxon Buratt, Loyola - MVP
Hunter Ponson, Loyola
Jake Cohen, Loyola
Frank Fernandez, Loyola
Dylan Davis, Abraham Baldwin
Quentin Rawls, Abraham Baldwin
Trypp Lumpkin, Abraham Baldwin
Taylor Walters, William Carey
Matthew Davis, William Carey
Samir Rojas, Faulkner
Edrien Martinez, Faulkner
 

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