HATTIESBURG, Miss. – In the summer months, Slade Wilks received All-America recognition for his athletic performance. Now, his academic achievements have also been acknowledged as he has secured a first-team 2024 Academic All-America® title, as chosen by College Sports Communicators.
Wilks led the Golden Eagles’ offense in the recent spring season, boasting a .336 batting average, alongside a team-high 20 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs, and 69 RBIs, all of which were team-leading statistics. Notably, he concluded his collegiate career with a remarkable 36-game hitting streak, ranking second in the university’s history.
Originally from Columbia, Miss., Wilks maintained a 3.571 grade point average in business administration.
This marks Wilks’ second time receiving the Academic All-American distinction, having previously earned third-team honors a year earlier. He stands as the first Southern Miss athlete to receive this award in consecutive years since Nick Sandlin (2017-18), and the first player from the university to attain first-team recognition since Sandlin achieved it in 2018.
He now joins an exclusive group of eight Golden Eagles to have garnered first-team honors, a list that comprises Mark Carson (1991), Derek Reams (1994-95), Jeremy Schied (1998), Patrick Ezell (2007), Trey Sutton (2007), Marc Bourgeois (2011), and Sandlin (2018).
In addition to his academic accolades, Wilks also secured third-team All-America honors for his on-field performance this spring, recognized by both the ABCA/Rawlings and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Here is a look at the three Division I teams that were awarded by the CSC.
| FIRST TEAM | Name | School | GPA | Yr. | Major |
| C | Ryan Campos (3) | Arizona State University | 3.75 | Jr. | Liberal Studies |
| DH | Slade Wilks (3) | University of Southern Mississippi | 3.57 | Sr. | Business Administration |
| IF | Travis Bazzana (3) | Oregon State University | 3.58 | Jr. | Psychology |
| IF | Jac Caglianone | University of Florida | 3.64 | Jr. | History |
| IF | Carter Cunningham | East Carolina University | 3.87 | Sr. | Business Administration |
| IF | Jon Jon Gazdar | Austin Peay State University | 4.00 | Jr. | General Studies |
| OF | James Tibbs | Florida State University | 3.53 | Jr. | Political Science |
| OF | Lyle Miller-Green | Austin Peay State University | 3.61/4.00 | Sr. | General Studies (U)/Leadership (G) |
| OF | Vance Honeycutt | University of North Carolina | 3.54 | Jr. | Communication |
| P | Trey Yesavage | East Carolina University | 3.51 | Jr. | Communication |
| P | Jesse Barker (1) | University of Central Arkansas | 4.00 | Gr. | General Science |
| SECOND TEAM | Name | School | GPA | Yr. | Major |
| C | Jake Holland | University of New Mexico | 4.00 | Sr. | Business Administration |
| DH | Burke Camper | Utah Valley University | 3.97 | Sr. | Exercise Science & Outdoor Recreation |
| IF | Owen Cobb (2) | Stanford University | 3.87/3.66 | Gr. | Management Science & Engineering |
| IF | Lucas Loos | Eastern Illinois University | 4.00 | Sr. | Exercise Science |
| IF | Wyatt Henseler | University of Pennsylvania | 3.88 | Sr. | Political Science |
| IF | Mitchell Daly | University of Kentucky | 3.50/3.90 | Gr. | Communication |
| OF | Tyler Fogarty | Saint Louis University | 3.92 | Gr. | Business Administration (G) |
| OF | Nolan Schubart | Oklahoma State University | 3.9 | So. | Marketing |
| OF | Dylan Nevar | Western Michigan University | 3.91 | Jr. | Electrical Engineering |
| P | Charlie Beilenson | Duke University | 3.6/3.63 | Gr. | MBA (G) |
| P | Brett Sears | University of Nebraska | 3.65 | Sr. | Child, Youth & Family Studies |
| THIRD TEAM | Name | School | GPA | Yr. | Major |
| C | Cole Messina | University of South Carolina | 3.6 | Jr. | Criminology and Criminal Justice |
| DH | Easton Carmichael | University of Oklahoma | 3.57 | So. | Sports Business |
| IF | Dillon Kark | Michigan State University | 3.92 | Sr. | Strategic Communication |
| IF | Trace Willhoite | Lipscomb University | 4.00/4.00 | Gr. | Business |
| IF | Sean Keys | Bucknell University | 3.55 | Jr. | Mechanical Engineering |
| IF | Emilien Pitre | University of Kentucky | 3.56 | Jr. | Management |
| OF | Joel Dragoo | Presbyterian College | 3.68 | Jr. | Business Management & Marketing |
| OF | Zack Kovalchik | Sacred Heart University | 3.98 | Jr. | Biology |
| OF | Gavin Turley | Oregon State University | 3.56 | So. | University Exploratory Studies |
| P | Nick Brink | University of Portland | 3.95 | Jr. | Computer Science |
| P | Bridger Holmes | Oregon State University | 3.84 | Jr. | History |
The Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year from College Sports Communicators is Jac Caglianone from the University of Florida. Jac Caglianone achieved the following honors in 2023
(1) – Named to the 1st team Academic All-America®
(2) – Earned a spot on the 2nd team Academic All-America®
(3) – Recognized as part of the 3rd team Academic All-America® squad
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