Jackson Wells Named OVC Pitcher of the Year

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Little Rock raked in the honors on Tuesday evening as four Trojans were named to the All-OVC First Team including sophomore righthander Jackson Wells being named the OVC Pitcher of the Year, Ty Rhoades was also named to the All-Freshman Team, the league announced.
 
The four players on the All-OVC First Team are the most of any school in the conference as Nico Baumbach, Skyler Trevino and Tyler Williams joined Wells at the top of their positions in the conference.
 
Wells and Baumbach were the only two sophomores named to the first team, and they are also both in their first year in Division I baseball.
 
Wells led the league in earned run average for almost the entirety of the 2023 season and was the nation's leader in ERA on several occasions spanning weeks throughout the year, finishing the regular season second nationally with a 1.71 ERA. In conference, Wells finished second overall and first among starting pitchers with a 1.86 ERA as well as being first in innings pitched (53.1). He also was third in strikeouts (48) and first in strikeouts looking (19) and was third in batting average against (.237). The Rogers, Arkansas native had one complete game shutout against SIUE where he struck out nine and walked none and nearly had a second CGSO in conference when he went 8.1 innings against Tennessee Tech, striking out a season high 11 and walking one batter while scattering six hits. Those two performances netted him OVC Pitcher of the Week twice and he finished with four wins in conference, the second highest mark among pitchers in the OVC.
 
"It can't be put into words what Jackson Wells means to Little Rock baseball," Head Coach Chris Curry said. "He is the epitome of doing everything the right way. His attention to detail and competitiveness are what drives him and ultimately led to this well-deserved award. Jackson will go down as one of the best pitchers of all time at Little Rock and we're proud he is a Trojan."
 
Baumbach was a catalyst for the Little Rock offense all season long, reaching base in every game he started in the regular season as well as at one point reeling off a 21 game hitting streak during a crucial time of the year. The Euless, Texas native led the team and the league in batting average at .376 and he also led the program in OPS at 1.099. Baumbach was named the first team third baseman and finished the year in the top 10 in many categories including first in batting average (.376), seventh in slugging percentage (.646), sixth in OPS (1.099), third in hits (71), sixth in RBI (51), and ninth in total bases (122).
 
Trevino slugged a team high 15 homeruns in the regular season and finished with an even .300 batting average while leading the team in runs scored. In addition, he only made four errors on the year while playing a stellar second base and was awarded first team honors for his efforts. The Whitehouse, Texas native was once the OVC Player of the Week when he hit .462 over a four game span with seven runs scored and six RBI, including four that came on a grand slam against Grambling in a 2-for-3 game. Trevino finished the year tied for sixth in the conference in homeruns (15), 12^th in RBI (46) and fifth in walks drawn (39).
 
Williams was breaking program records seemingly every few weeks in his senior season at Little Rock, becoming first in both triples in a career as well as total bases to stand alone in the categories in the Trojans record book. The Lilburn, Georgia native finished second in the OVC in total hits (76) and batting average (364). He was also in the top ten for triples (7), stolen bases (23), total bases (128) and slugging percentage (.612). Williams played an incredible center field for Little Rock, showing great range while also collecting four outfield assists. Every time he would reach base, he threatened to run his way into scoring position and provide scoring opportunities for the Trojans. Has been an integral part of the team since stepping foot on campus in the fall of 2019.
 
Rhoades started 49 games primarily in right field in his freshman season and slugged four homeruns on the year. He finished tied for second on the team in triples with three and drove in 29 runs, scoring 30 runs himself in a productive year where most freshmen are still learning the ropes of Division I baseball.
 
"We couldn't be prouder of our All-OVC team representatives and the seasons they had for Little Rock," said Head Coach Chris Curry. "Not only are they elite players, but their character and make up are first class. We are very grateful for the effort this group gave to Little Rock this year."
 
The Trojans will be in action in the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship beginning on Thursday at 3 p.m., the opponent is still unknown as Wednesday's results will reveal the competition by tomorrow night.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Baseball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockBSB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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