Liberty’s Tanner Marsh was named CUSA Player and Defensive Player of the Year while Ben Blair was named CUSA Pitcher of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday. The pair were joined by outfielder Nick Barone, starting pitcher Bradley Zayac, and relief pitcher Cooper Harrington on the CUSA All-Conference teams. Marsh, Blair, and Barone were each named to the first team wh ile Zayac and Harrington were selected to the second team. The Flames’ five all-conference selections are the most for Liberty in its three seasons in CUSA.

Marsh becomes the sixth Flame to be named conference player of the year and first in Conference USA. The junior joins Jonathan Embry (2019-ASUN), DJ Artis (2017-Big South), Ryan Seiz (2014-Big South), Keith Butler (2000-Big South), and Jason Benham (1998-Big South) as Liberty players who have earned that feat.

Meanwhile, Blair becomes the fourth Flame to be selected conference pitcher of the year. The junior right-hander joins Trevor DeLaite (2021-ASUN), Jared Lyons (2015-Big South), and Trey Lambert (2014-Big South) as Liberty pitchers who have won a conference pitcher of the  year award.

Marsh, who has started every game in his Liberty career, leads the Flames with a .341 batting average and 63 runs scored. Liberty’s leadoff hitter also leads the Flames with 78 hits, 15 doubles, five triples, 22 stolen bases and 22 multi-hit games. Marsh enters the week with 43 RBI, five home runs, a .513 slugging percentage, 38 walks and a .430 on-base percentage. Defensively, the shortstop has committed seven errors in 223 chances for a .969 fielding percentage. Marsh is currently second in Conference USA with 133 assists. He enters the CUSA Baseball Championship eighth nationally and tops in CUSA among shortstops with 11.79 Defensive Runs Saved.

The CUSA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Blair has posted a 6-5 record with a 3.87 ERA over 81 1/3 innings. In 14 starts, he has struck out 102 and walked 12, while holding opponents to a .225 batting average. He boasts a stellar 8.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a 1.33 walks allowed per nine innings average and a 1.00 WHIP. lair enters this week’s CUSA Baseball Championship among the national leaders in several categories. The junior is fifth in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio and 14th in WHIP.  He is also among the national leaders in strikeouts (22nd) and walks allowed per nine innings (12th). Blair’s 102 strikeouts tie him for third on Liberty’s single-season record list. In addition, he enters the week with 238 career strikeouts. The total is currently fifth on Liberty’s career strikeout list.

Barone enters the week hitting .313 with a team-high 50 RBI and has scored 45 runs. The outfielder has hit a team-leading 10 home runs and leads the Flames with a .558 slugging percentage. He has 13 doubles and five triples, while posting a .408 on-base percentage and stealing 19 bases.

Zayac has been a steady addition to the Flames’ pitching staff in 2026. The sophomore enters the weekend with an 8-0 record and a 3.23 ERA over 75 1/3 innings. In 14 games, 13 starts, the right-hander has struck out 63 and walked 16. The Chesapeake, Va., native has held opponents to a .247 batting average. Currently, Zayac leads CUSA in wins. He is also among the conference leaders in ERA (5th), innings pitched (6th), strikeouts (9th) and opponents’ batting average (10th).

Harrington enters the week with a 2-1 record, 3.83 ERA and 11 saves over 42 1/3 innings in 22 appearances, two starts. He has struck out 50 and walked 10. Currently, Harrington is second in CUSA and eighth in the country in saves. Since taking over the closer role for the Flames in a 9-3 victory over Missouri State on March 15, he has converted 11 of 12 save opportunities. The right-hander is fourth on the Liberty single-season save list. Josh Brey holds the program record for saves in a single season with 16 in 2000.

The Flames (38-18, 21-9 CUSA) finished second in the regular season under second year head coach Bradley LeCroy. Liberty is back in action Thursday morning at 10 a.m. to open Pool Play in the 2026 CUSA Tournament. The Flames will play #8 seed Sam Houston in Kennesaw, Georgia.

2026 CUSA POSTSEASON AWARDS

Player of the Year: Tanner Marsh, Liberty
Defensive Player of the Year: Tanner Marsh, Liberty
Freshman of the Year: Jaxon Pate, Jax State
Coach of the Year: Steve Bieser, Jax State
Assistant Coach of the Year: Ryan Kramer, Jax State
Newcomer of the Year: Declan Dahl, Louisiana Tech

All-CUSA First Team

C: Grayson Ashe, Jax State
INF: Chayton Krauss, DBU
INF: Tanner Marsh, Liberty
INF: Logan Fyffe, Missouri State
INF: Lane Arroyos, WKU
OF: Jake Bennett, DBU
OF: Jaxon Pate, Jax State
OF: Nick Barone, Liberty
DH: Luke Pettitte, DBU
SP: Eli Pillsbury, Jax State
SP: Ben Blair, Liberty
SP: Declan Dahl, LA Tech
SP: Ryan Peterson, Sam Houston
RP: Skyler Hutto, Jax State
RP: Daniel Powell, Kennesaw State
UT: Curry Sutherland, Missouri State

All-CUSA Second Team

C: Tyler Minnick, MTSU
INF: Evan Bouldin, Delaware
INF: Caleb Johnson, Jax State
INF: Trey King, Jax State
INF: Trey Hawsey, LA Tech
OF: Dylan Schlaegel, DBU
OF: Owen Nowak, MTSU
OF: Jonatan Clough, NM State
DH: Layne Akers, MTSU
SP: Liam Watt, DBU
SP: Beau Bryans, Jax State
SP: Steven Cash, Jax State
SP: Bradley Zayac, Liberty
RP: Maddox McDougall, Jax State
RP: Cooper Harrington, Liberty
UT: Cooper Williams, Kennesaw State

CUSA All-Freshman Team

Anthony DeCeasare, Delaware
Jaxon Pate, Jax State
Josh Gibbs, Kennesaw State
Grayson McCollum, Kennesaw State
Jayden Summerville, Kennesaw State
Thomas Allen, LA Tech
Casey McCoy, LA Tech
Layne Akers, MTSU
Ross Felder, Missouri State
Wes Baker, Sam Houston
Cade Corcoran, Sam Houston