BRENTWOOD, Tenn.– The Ohio Valley Conference rolled out their season awards and the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team had four players named to the all-conference teams.
Skyhawk ace Tristan Walton was named to the All-OVC first team while third baseman Mac Danford, outfielder Will Smith and relief pitcher Tucker Reed received spots on the second team.
Today’s announcement marks just the third time in program history UT Martin has received four or more All-OVC accolades, joining the 2010 team (four) and 2023 squad (five).
Walton becomes just the third pitcher in Skyhawk baseball history to be voted to the All-OVC first team, joining Winston Cannon (2021) and Michael Blount (1996). The 6-3, 210-pound lefty recorded five wins and boasted a 3.08 ERA (second in the OVC and first amongst starters). He additionally ranked in the top-three in the OVC in opponent batting average (.233, second), strikeouts (88, second and second most in UT Martin single-season history), fewest home runs allowed (four, second), runners picked off (four, second) and innings pitched (84.2, third). Overall, he allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine of his 14 starts and delivered eight quality starts. He whiffed at least nine batters on four separate occasions – including a career-best 11 punchouts in seven innings against Tennessee Tech on April 26. He also logged at least seven innings in six of his final eight starts of the regular season, including a career-high 7.2 scoreless frames against OVC regular season champion Little Rock on April 12. In conference play, the Clay, Ala. native was named OVC Pitcher of the Week on April 1 and ranked in the top-three in the league in ERA (2.93, second), opponent batting average (.226, second), innings pitched (58.1, second) and strikeouts (58, third).
A 5-11, 200-pound right-handed hitter, Danford joins Jordan Stoner (2018-19) as the only Skyhawks to win All-OVC awards in back-to-back seasons. In 54 games this spring, Danford hit .325 while smashing a team-best 15 home runs (tied for third-most in a single season at UT Martin) and 55 RBI’s (seventh in the OVC and tied for third-most in a single season in school history). The OVC Player of the Week on March 4, he tied for the team lead with 19 multi-hit games (including five contests with three base knocks) while pacing the squad with 15 multi-RBI performances. He crushed a pair of homers in the May 1 road contest at Murray State and homered in three straight games from March 19-22. The senior from Grand Ridge, Fla. ranked among the best in conference play in home runs (10, tied for third), slugging percentage (.737, sixth), OPS (1.173, seventh), total bases (73, eighth) and RBI’s (29, ninth). He wrapped up the regular season by reaching base safely in 22 consecutive games.
Smith adds on to his storied Skyhawk career by receiving his first All-OVC nod. The senior recorded career-highs in batting average (.321), runs scored (51), hits (67), doubles (12), home runs (nine), RBI’s (37), slugging percentage (.526), walks (32) and on-base percentage (.423) this spring, starting 53 games in right field. The Prattville, Ala. native also has got the job done in the defensively as he rifled in 10 assists. The owner of 18 multi-hit outings and 10 multi-RBI games, he put together four-hit contests against Brown (Feb. 23) and Morehead State (May 5) while becoming the sixth player in school history to achieve 200 career hits. In league play, he ranked fourth in the OVC with 20 walks drawn – directly leading to an impressive 1.019 OPS (.434 on-base percentage, .585 slugging percentage). The 6-3, 190-pound right-handed hitter socked 14 extra-base hits – including seven round-trippers – and dialed up 24 RBI’s in 27 OVC contests.
A senior right-hander out of Athens, Ala., Reed becomes the fourth relief pitcher in Skyhawk history to garner All-OVC accolades – all coming in head coach Ryan Jenkins’ tenure (Nick Wohlbold in 2019, David Hussey in 2021, Zach Wager in 2023). Reed put on a pitching clinic in 2024, boasting a 4-1 record with three saves to go along with a 3.66 ERA in a team-best 25 appearances (all out of the bullpen). He did not concede an earned run in 16 outings, including seven consecutive appearances from March 6 through March 26 before following that with six straight appearances with zero earned runs allowed (all against OVC squads) from April 12 to April 27. The 6-3, 195-pounder ranks third in the OVC in games finished (15) and fourth in appearances, striking out 45 batters in 46.2 innings pitched. He accumulated three victories and a pair of saves in 16 appearances against OVC competition, ranking third in conference play in ERA (3.41) and sixth in called strikeouts (14) while topping the league with a dozen games finished. He went multiple innings 10 times in league play, including a career-high seven strikeout effort in four frames against Little Rock on April 14.
UT Martin begins the OVC Championship tournament in Marion, Ill. tomorrow at 9 a.m. against Tennessee Tech on ESPN+.
