NEWPORT, R.I. (July 1, 2025) -- Salve Regina University graduate student Brayden Clark (Beverly, Mass.) has been recognized as a standout on the diamond and in the classroom with his selection to the First Team Academic All-America® chosen by College Sports Communicators and announced today.

Clark becomes the first Seahawk athlete to earn Academic All-America® honors since football linebacker A.J. Albert in 2011. He's also the first Salve Regina baseball player to get the distinction since his head coach, Eric Cirella '05, was named the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® of the Year 20 years ago.

Clark finished his Seahawk career with the most wins in program history (32) along with breaking his own single-season victory mark (11-2 in 2025). Salve Regina (36-9) produced a program-high 20-game win streak during which Clark went 6-0 including a complete-game shutout with a career-high 15 Ks in the final regular-season weekend against WPI where the Seahawks clinched the top seed in the NEWMAC for the second straight year.

With losses to MIT and Coast Guard in back-to-back starts in late March and early April, Clark avenged one of those in the NEWMAC postseason, pitching the Seahawks into the championship round with seven innings, a dozen strikeouts, and just one earned run, during a 6-1 final against the Bears at Reynolds Field.

In an NCAA regional outing against Keene State, Clark pitched eight shutout innings while striking out six Owls in a 5-0 Seahawk victory. Recently, Clark had been named the Region I Pitcher of the Year by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) before claiming First Team All-American honors from the ABCA.

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BRAYDEN CLARK COMMENTS ON YOUTUBE

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"What a remarkable finishing touch on Brayden's stellar career at Salve Regina," said the three-time honoree Cirella. "He's a winner on the field and in the classroom. As a consensus First Team All American (ABCA) and now First Team Academic All-America® (CSC), I think he leaves behind a legacy that will be tough to follow. Our team did better this year in the classroom than ever before and Brayden was a primary contributor. I am someone who is always preaching that academic excellence will lead to excellence on the field. This is one of my favorite awards and I couldn't be more proud of Brayden."

Majoring in marketing (with a 3.70 undergraduate GPA and 3.92 graduate GPA), Clark had joined teammates Kyle Carozza, Brandon Grover, Christian Homa, and Andrew Wertz on the Academic All-District® list last month. For the complete listing of honorees, visit here - https://academicallamerica.com/sports/2024/9/11/AAAHonors20242025.aspx