Trevecca Baseball | Trojan Duo of Ryan Sweeney and Cade Martin Earn GSC Weekly Awards

NASHVILLE – Trevecca Nazarene University baseball juniors Cade Martin and Ryan Sweeney have been named Gulf South Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the week ending Sunday, March 16, 2026. The honors are presented by Athletic Solutions.

Martin, a junior designated hitter, produced 10 RBI and nine runs scored while helping Trevecca to a 5-0 week. He finished 5-for-18 (.278) at the plate with three home runs, including a pair in game one of a two-game sweep at No. 1 North Greenville.

In the series opener against the top-ranked Crusaders, Martin went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI to lead the Trojans to the win. He added another key performance in the Gulf South Conference series against Union, driving in five RBI, highlighted by a grand slam in game two of the series. Martin recorded at least one hit in four of five games during the week.

Sweeney, a junior right-hander, earned three saves across three appearances, totaling 4.2 innings without allowing a run. He surrendered just two hits while striking out four and issuing no walks or hit batters, holding opponents to a .133 batting average.

At No. 1 North Greenville, Sweeney secured back-to-back saves. He opened the series with 2.1 innings of work, allowing one hit with a strikeout, then followed with a one-inning appearance featuring two strikeouts and no hits allowed. He closed the week by earning the save in the series-clinching win at Union, tossing 1.1 innings with one hit and one strikeout.

Sweeney now has seven saves on the season, tying for the most in NCAA Division II.

SEASON NOTES
Trevecca, picked eighth in the GSC preseason poll, leads the conference standings at 13-2. The Trojans have won all five GSC series this season — Union University (3-0), West Florida (2-1), Valdosta State (2-1), Montevallo (3-0), and Auburn Montgomery (3-0).

The Trojan start is being noticed by the national and regional polls. Trevecca is ranked No. 18 in this week's D2 Baseball Top 25 Poll. The ABCA NCAA Division II Top 25 ranked TNU No. 22 this week. The NCBWA ranks Trevecca No. 2 in the NCAA South Region; its Top 25 is released each Wednesday.

Trevecca (20-7, 13-2 GSC) returns to Jackson Field on Wednesday to complete a home-and-home non-conference set with the Tusculum University Pioneers (9-16). The Trojans defeated Tusculum in Greeneville, Tennessee, earlier this season, a 9-5 win on February 17. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. The Trojans lead the series 5-4 all-time after the first meeting. Trevecca is 3-0 at Jackson Field versus the Pioneers. Prior to this season, the last meeting was on April 12, 2017, when the Trojans won 13-10. The first all-time meeting was a 10-1 Trevecca win on May 12, 1993.

The Trojans host a GSC series with Mississippi College (16-11, 10-5 GSC) beginning Friday. The Trojans and Choctaws have played three times, with all three meetings coming last year, the first for TNU in the Gulf South. The Choctaws took all three games in Clinton, Mississippi.

2026 GSC Baseball Weekly Awards
Player of the Week
Feb. 3: Zack Stokes, West Florida
Feb. 10: Rashad Robinson, West Alabama
Feb. 17: Elijah Ramsey, Union
Feb. 24: Jack Fitzgerald, Montevallo
Mar. 3: Cody Turner, Lee
Mar. 10: Alex Johnson, Mississippi College
Mar. 17: Cade Martin, Trevecca Nazarene

Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 3: Eli Roberts, West Florida
Feb. 10: Jonah Smithson, Trevecca Nazarene
Feb. 17: Zach Wyatt, Montevallo
Feb. 24: Adrian Byrd, Delta State
Mar. 3: Baker Green, West Alabama
Mar. 10: Baker Green, West Alabama
Mar. 17: Ryan Sweeney, Trevecca Nazarene

Freshman of the Week
Feb. 3: Mason Woolever, Montevallo
Feb. 10: Rylan Moses, Trevecca Nazarene
Feb. 17: Blake Westry, West Alabama
Feb. 24: Tucker Ricks, West Florida
Mar. 3: Will Langston, Mississippi College
Mar. 10: Rylan Moses, Trevecca Nazarene
Mar. 17: Tucker Ricks, West Florida