Dylan Crews Named To 2023 SEC Baseball Community Service

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In a continuing effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition, the Southeastern Conference has highlighted a Community Service Team for baseball for the 2023 season. The conference names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.

The 2023 SEC Baseball Community Service Team follows:

LSU – Dylan Crews, OF, Jr., Longwood, Fla.

Dylan Crews is a member of the SEC Community Service Team for the second consecutive year. He works with Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge, a non-profit resource center organized and directed by family members of individuals with disabilities; the organization supports families whose members have physical, cognitive, mental, emotional, or behavioral disabilities.

Crews is involved with Team of Dreams in Gonzales, La., which is an all-Abilities baseball league serving the youth and young adults who use wheelchairs, persons with physical disabilities, or persons with intellectual disabilities. Crews and his family purchase four seats for every home LSU Baseball game and give the tickets to families with special needs children. He signs autographs and takes pictures with the kids after every home game.

One of the children that Crews has befriended is nine-year-old Aubrey White, who has non-verbal autism and suffers from seizures. The first time her parents ever heard Aubrey speak was while they were watching an LSU baseball game on TV during the 2021 season. When Crews stepped up to the plate, Aubrey cheered, “Dylan Crews!” After meeting Aubrey, Crews wanted more kids with special needs to have the opportunity to come to a baseball game, so he and his family began purchasing the tickets for the kids and their families.

Alabama – Jim Jarvis, INF, Sr., San Diego, Calif.
Jim Jarvis has contributed nearly 100 hours of community service hours during his four years at Alabama. He has spent a significant amount of time working with The Miracle League of Tuscaloosa, helping children with mental and physical disabilities experience the game of baseball. Other activities include: reading to students at local schools, participation in various programs through Alabama Athletics, including multiple Halloween Extravaganzas and Thank-a-Thons.

Arkansas – Zack Morris, LHP, Sr., Cabot, Ark.
Zack Morris is a two-time Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll member (2021 & 2022). He partnered with Fayetteville Youth Baseball through ONEArkansas NIL to help celebrate the unveiling of new baseball fields at Kessler Mountain Regional Park in Fayetteville, Ark.

Auburn – Josh Hall, OF, Gr., Homewood, Ala.
Josh Hall has been a staple in the Auburn community since arriving on the Plains in 2020. He has participated in reading to students at multiple schools including Northside Intermediate School in Opelika, Ala., and Edgewood Elementary School in Homewood, Ala., and has also volunteered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Hall is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a speaker at events in the past, and has led the Auburn baseball team bible study for the 2023 season. As recently as last week, Hall and the Auburn baseball team participated in a clinic at the Miracle League of Vestavia Hills, and he has previously volunteered at numerous youth baseball camps at Homewood High School.

Florida – Tyler Shelnut, INF, Jr., Lake City, Fla.
Tyler Shelnut leads the Florida baseball team with 11.5 hours of registered community service time. Over the course of the academic year, Shelnut volunteered at Oak Hall School in addition to numerous hours in the classroom at Littlewood Elementary. At Littlewood, Shelnut spent time interacting with students and assisting them as needed. He also serves as a terrific role model for the kids in the community and can always be found staying late to sign autographs at Condron Family Ballpark.

Georgia – Josh Stinson, OF, RJr., Lawrenceville, Ga.
Josh Stinson represented the SEC at the 2022 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Houston, Texas. He has been a member of the UGAAA Student-Athlete Advisory Council (S.A.A.C) and Leadership Program (L.E.A.D) and also serves as Co-Chair of the UGA Student DEI (Diversity, Equality & Inclusion) Committee. Stinson is part of a leadership team for events such as Relay For Life cancer fundraisers and Special Olympics baseball games. He also volunteers for Operation Christmas Child that collects and packages gifts to be sent to children all over the world. He is a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Kentucky – Alex Degen, RHP, RSr., Readington Township, N.J.
Alex Degen was one of Kentucky’s two winners of the SEC’s Brad Davis Community Service Award. He is one of two University of Kentucky students and one local citizen to have received UK’s highest honor for humanitarian efforts — the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. He is a three-time SEC Community Service Award honoree and has volunteered 175 hours of work with the Ronald McDonald House, more than 100 hours of work on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and more than 150 hours of work for other various outreaches.

Ole Miss – Peyton Chatagnier, INF, Sr., Cypress, Texas
Peyton Chatagnier has been very involved in the Oxford and Mississippi communities, spending his time with a multitude of different programs. Peyton has participated in Reading with the Rebels, where he visited local elementary schools to read and engage with the children in their classrooms. He has also spent time working with Adopt-a-Basket where he assisted with the collection of over 1,300 items to make 107 holiday food baskets for the local community. When the city of Jackson, Mississippi needed help with their water crisis, Peyton assisted in the collection of over 10,000 water bottles for residents of the capital city. As a member of the baseball team, Peyton has also participated in a visit to the Children’s of Mississippi Hospital and both the Bats and Balls Clinic and the OPC Youth Clinic. In addition to these events, Peyton also serves as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Mississippi State – Luke Hancock, Gr., Gr., Houston, Miss.
Luke Hancock has participated in a number of community service activities, including volunteering with the Salvation Army for different projects and volunteering with the Miracle League in Columbus, Miss. He has also worked with Project Noel in his hometown of Houston, Miss. Hancock is pursuing his masters in Workforce Leadership Education.

Missouri – Hank Zeisler, 1B, Grad., Kentfield, Calif.
Hank Zeisler has made an immediate impact, both on and off the diamond, during his first season with the Missouri program. He has assisted as a volunteer with the Downtown Optimist Club during Christmas tree drive, as well as the Paxton Keely Comet Carnival as a game attendant. The Kentfield, Calif., native also assisted Mizzou Athletics in a variety of roles, including participating in the department’s Mental Health Awareness program and Mizzou Baseball’s Alumni Golf Tournament.

South Carolina – Wesley Sweatt, RHP, 5th Yr., Rock Hill, S.C.
Brad Davis was one of South Carolina’s two winners of the SEC’s Brad Davis Community Service Award Award. He graduated in May with a degree in integrated information technology and is looking to enroll in graduate school starting in the 2023-24 academic year. Sweatt has been a great ambassador for the baseball program and the University of South Carolina and has been a steady contributor to the Gamecocks’ community service efforts through various projects, most notably with the Busbee Middle School Mentoring Program and with Oliver Gospel Mission.

Tennessee – Zach Joyce, RHP, Jr., Knoxville, Tenn.
Zach Joyce is among the team leaders in community service hours logged this year on top of being a standout in the classroom with a 3.31 GPA while majoring in supply chain management. Joyce has volunteered at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, where he spent time playing with children dealing with serious illnesses, as well as Lonsdale Elementary School, helping with physical education classes. The Knoxville native also spent time volunteering at the Knoxville Museum of Art and UT Baseball's Day of Service.

Texas A&M – Brett Minnich, OF, Sr., Colleyville, Texas
Brett Minnich has served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for the last two years. His community service participation includes his work with the AggiesCan canned food drive. He also participated as a coach in Aggie Baseball summer camps. He has been named to the Texas A&M AD Honor Roll for Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022 and Fall 2022. He has also been a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll in Spring 2021 and Spring 2022.

Vanderbilt – Enrique Bradfield, Jr., OF, Jr., Hialeah, Fla.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. has made a strong impact both on the field and in the community during his time at Vanderbilt. The Commodore outfielder has dedicated his time to numerous causes centered around the youth. Over the year, Bradfield has volunteered at local elementary schools as a greeter, including Eakin Elementary School in Nashville. The junior has also volunteered at several youth baseball camps in his hometown. This season, Bradfield has started every game for the Commodores in center field, while leading the team in runs scored and ranking second in hits. He has stolen 31 bases on the year to lead the SEC.

(Release via SEC Sports)