SEARCY — Five members of the Harding baseball team have been selected to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, the organization announced Tuesday.
Graduate student Merritt Jay and seniors Logan Lacey, Cooper Newsom, Jack Opoien, and Phoenix West all received the honor, which recognizes top-tier student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, and compete in at least 90 percent of the team's games or start at least 66 percent of the total contests. Pitchers must make at least 17 appearances or log 25.0 innings.
Jay, a native of Arlington, Texas, spearheads the academic billing with a flawless 4.00 GPA while pursuing his graduate degree in management and business ethics. On the mound, the right-hander served as the anchor of the Bisons' rotation. Jay logged a team-high 76.0 innings over 15 appearances, engineering a 5-3 record and racking up 72 strikeouts against just 19 walks.
Newsom, a senior from Smyrna, Tennessee, holds a 3.95 GPA in management. He backed up his stellar academic marks with a historic offensive campaign, starting all 50 games at shortstop. Newsom batted .320 and powered the Bisons' offense with a Great American Conference-leading 65 RBIs, while adding nine home runs and 17 doubles.
West, a senior from Fort Collins, Colorado, maintains a 3.62 GPA in graphic design. Starting 49 games, West hit .297 and proved to be one of the team's premium run producers, tallying seven home runs, 12 doubles, and 27 RBIs.
Opoien, a senior from Prosper, Texas, carries a 3.50 GPA in applied studies behavioral health. Serving as a middle-of-the-order constant, Opoien started all 50 games and posted a .301 batting average. He racked up 53 hits, including 12 doubles and three home runs, while driving in 28 runs.
Lacey, a senior from North Richland Hills, Texas, rounds out the selections with a 3.50 GPA in accounting. Lacey matched Opoien with a .301 batting average across 50 starts, generating 58 hits, 14 doubles, four home runs, and 34 RBIs while leading the Bisons on the basepaths with 15 stolen bases.
