Western Wayne Today

At Wayne State University, the baseball program is demonstrating strong academic achievement alongside athletic performance. Players such as Gabe Zeldes, a junior outfielder preparing for medical school, and Keegan Pulford-Thorpe, a former San Diego Padres draft pick now pursuing a master's degree, reflect the team's focus on academics.

The 2025 team finished the winter term with a 3.706 grade-point average. Sixteen non-first year players earned at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and received Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic honors. This level of academic success is uncommon among collegiate teams.

Wayne State baseball aligns with the university's Prosperity Agenda and its College to Career initiative, which emphasizes turning academic achievement into economic mobility for students. The program aims to develop athletes who are prepared for leadership roles beyond sports.

Head coach Ryan Kelley said, "This year was pretty exceptional in terms of how they performed. We've done well in the past, but this winter semester was the highest team GPA I can recall in 17 seasons. That says a lot about our guys and the culture we've built."

Faculty mentors play an important role in supporting student-athletes' academic work. Dr. Shane Perrine helped Zeldes gain research experience and present at a university symposium, while Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler supported Pulford-Thorpe's research presentation at a national event in Atlanta.

Athletics academic advisor Kim Clexton helps student-athletes manage their schedules and balance athletics with academics by coordinating class conflicts around travel and working with faculty across departments.

"Kim Clexton is one of the hardest working professionals at Wayne State," Kelley said. "She doesn't travel with us, but she's in constant communication with our guys – nights, weekends, whenever they need help. Her name probably comes up every day. You can't get a 3.7 team GPA without someone like Kim in your corner."

In addition to academics and athletics, community service is part of the team's activities. In 2025, Wayne State baseball contributed about 630 hours through partnerships such as Team Impact, Detroit Tigers Community Foundation initiatives, local elementary school visits, meal prep projects, and book drives.

The program has produced professional-level talent including Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown and former MLB player Anthony Bass but maintains that its primary strength lies in developing both athletic skill and academic discipline.

Athletics Director Erika Wallace said: "This is what the student-athlete model should look like. These student-athletes are winning games, setting academic records, and preparing themselves for meaningful futures. Wayne State's College to Career initiative is more than just graduation – it's about launching students into a life of purpose. Coach Kelley's program is doing that."

Kelley added: "There's no magic formula," explaining that character and discipline drive results: "It's character, discipline and a lot of work. We recruit players who are hungry in every part of their lives. The GPA is a byproduct of the culture."

He also noted: "There's always the mindset that we're going to do the very best we can to help our baseball student-athletes turn professional on the field. If that doesn't matriculate, we are definitely going to help put them in a position to be professional at something other than baseball."

With high-achieving students like Zeldes heading toward medical school and Pulford-Thorpe advancing academically after his time as an MLB draft pick (https://www.milb.com/player/keegan-pulford-thorpe-687859), Wayne State's approach stands out among Division II programs nationally.