2025 ABCA All-Atlantic Region Defensive Team
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University baseball standout Clay Wiesen was named the best defensive second baseman in the Atlantic Region as he earned a spot on the 2025 American Baseball Coaches Association All-Defensive Team Thursday.
 
The organization's all-defensive teams are voted on by members of the ABCA and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Division II All-America & Coach of the Year Committee. Each of the eight regions in Division II selected their top defensive teams which consisted of one catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop and pitcher as well as three outfield spots.
 
One of the newer awards presented by the ABCA, defensive all-region teams were first awarded in 2023 and as such Wiesen is the first SRU student-athlete to be named to the ABCA Atlantic Region All-Defensive Team.
 
A sure-handed second baseman with great range, Wiesen shined in the field for The Rock in 2025 as the Hermitage, Pennsylvania native started all 50 games while compiling a nearly flawless .995 fielding percentage with 81 putouts and 110 assists in 192 chances. Wiesen also played a role in 23 of Slippery Rock's 27 double plays in 2025 – the most by a Rock team since 2017.
 
In addition to his defensive prowess, Wiesen hit .289 with a .346 on-base percentage, 19 runs scored, 23 RBI, 10 doubles and nine stolen bases. He recorded 13 multi-hit games and tied for the team lead with seven multi-RBI contests.

Off the field, Wiesen was named to the College Sports Communicator's Academic All-District Team with an impressive 3.727 GPA as a safety management major.
 
2025 marked the first season for Wiesen in a Slippery Rock uniform. After a decorated career at Hickory High School that resulted in being ranked as the No. 75 overall athlete in the state of Pennsylvania, Wiesen attended Youngstown State University as a freshman followed by a stop at Georgia Highlands College where he helped lead GHC to the NJCAA World Series before making his way to The Rock.
 
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division accounted for four of the nine positions on the ABCA Atlantic Region All-Defensive Team as Wiesen was joined by catcher Mark Black, outfielder Jack Whalen and pitcher Jon McCullough of Seton Hill University.
 
Players selected to the ABCA NCAA Division II Region All-Defensive Teams were eligible for ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove honors which were also released Thursday. Whalen was the lone Atlantic Region player to earn national Gold Glove accolades.
 
Slippery Rock completed its 2025 season with a 31-19 overall record. The Rock qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament for a third consecutive year after going 16-12 in the PSAC West. The 31 wins secured the 20th 30-win campaign under head coach Jeff Messer and represented the second highest victory total by the program over the last 16 years.
 
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.




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