Dunn Leads List of Blazers Honored by American Conference
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - May 19, 2026
Seven members of the UAB baseball program received American Conference honors on Tuesday, including Casey Dunn, who was selected as The American Coach of the Year.
Dunn became the first UAB head baseball coach selected as the conference coach of the year since Brian Shoop won that honor from Conference USA in 2014. Pete Rancont was the Great Midwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1992. Dunn directed a team picked last in the preseason conference poll to a 31-24 overall record and a fourth place finish in the American Conference.
Six players earned all-conference honors with outfielder John Paul Head and catcher Max Price selected on the first team. Designated hitter/outfielder Landon Beaver was chosen on the second team and shortstop Baylor Roberts, catcher Austin Pierzynski and pitcher Carter Samuelson were members of the All-Freshman team.
Head, a sophomore from Vestavia Hills, led the conference and was tied for 17th in the country with 20 home runs. He is the first player in UAB history with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a single season. Head was first in the AAC in slugging percentage (.677), second in total bases (134), fourth in RBI (54), seventh in runs scored (51), and seventh in walks (39). On May 16, Head became the fourth player in American Conference history to have 20 home runs in a season, joining Kody Hoese (Tulane, 2019), Bryson Worrell (East Carolina, 2022), and Hunter Goodman (Memphis, 2021). Hoese holds the single season home run record in the conference with 23.
Price, a junior college transfer from Glendale College in Southern California, played in 32 games this season and compiled a .968 OPS with six home runs. Price, a primary catcher, platooned with Pierzynski behind the plate this season. Price hit -off home runs against Cincinnati and Tulane this season.
Beaver leads the Blazers with a .322 average, 21 multi-hit games and 16 doubles while starting all 55 games for UAB this season. The designated hitter/outfielder compiled a .965 OPS and was second on the team with 101 total bases and 12 stolen bases. The sophomore from Phenix City, AL also finished third in the AAC in walks (43).
Roberts started in 53 of 54 games he appeared in this season. He was one of the top defensive shortstops in the conference. Roberts recorded 41 hits, had nine multi-hit games and registered an OPS of .643 in his true freshman season. Pierzynski had a stellar season behind the plate for the Blazers. Pierzynski started in 34 of 36 games he played in and hit six home runs to go with an .801 OPS. Pierzynski tallied his first career multi-home run game on April 24 against Memphis. The Orlando, FL native, who is the son of former major leaguer AJ Pierzynski, caught seven runners stealing this season which was tied for seventh in the league.
Samuelson became part of the UAB pitching rotation in mid-March and finished with the third-most innings on the team with 56.1. Samuelson, a Springville (Ala.) High graduate, finished second on the team with five wins and third on the team in strikeouts (37). Samuelson tossed a career-high six innings pitched in a win at South Florida on April 18.
UAB, the No. 4 seed, opens play in the American Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon against the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 5 seed Memphis and No. 8 seed Charlotte.
Player of the Year
Drew Detlefsen, Sr., OF, UTSA
Pitcher of the Year
Conor Myles, Grad, LHP, UTSA
Newcomer Position Player of the Year
Jayson Jones, Sr., INF, Wichita State
Newcomer Pitcher of the Year
Tanner Wiggins, R-So., RHP, Rice
Defensive Player of the Year
Jevin Relaford, Sr., INF, South Florida
Coach of the Year
Casey Dunn, UAB
All-Conference First Team
P – Ethan Norby, Jr., East Carolina
P – James Litman, So., Florida Atlantic
P – Conor Myles, Grad, UTSA
RP – Joseph Webb, Sr., East Carolina
RP – Sam Simmons, Sr., UTSA
C – Andrew Stucky, Grad, UTSA
1B – Caden Miller, So., UTSA
2B – Braden Burress, So., East Carolina
SS – Jevin Relaford, Sr., South Florida
3B – Jayson Jones, Sr., Wichita State
OF – JP Head, So., UAB
OF – Drew Detlefsen, Sr., UTSA
OF – Jason Wachs, So., Tulane
DH – Dylan Koontz, Grad, Charlotte
UTL – Max Price, R-Jr., UAB
All-Conference Second Team
P – Ryland Urbanczyk, R-Jr., Rice
P – Connor Kelley, Jr., UTSA
P – Matthew Cuccias, Jr., Wichita State
RP – Ty Thames, Fr., Rice
RP – Brady Pacha, Grad, Wichita State
C – Lance Trippel, Sr., South Florida
1B – Cody Gunderson, Sr., Charlotte
2B – JC Davis, Jr., Rice
SS – Javon Hernandez, Grad, Memphis
3B – Nick Romano, R-Sr., Florida Atlantic
OF – Alec DeMartino, Grad, Charlotte
OF – Todd Hudson, Sr., Charlotte
OF – Jack Herring, Sr., East Carolina
DH – Landon Beaver, So., UAB
UTL – Matt Rose, Sr., South Florida
All-Freshman Team
Austin Pierzynski, C, UAB
Baylor Roberts, SS, UAB
Carter Samuelson, P, UAB
Grady Lenahan, OF, East Carolina
Ethan Rose, P, East Carolina
Ethan Sanders, P, Rice
Ty Thames, P, Rice
Jack Lutz, 3B, South Florida
Dominic Pontbriant, P, South Florida
Michael Senay, P, South Florida
*UAB athletic media relations provided information for this story.