Burress Named NCBWA First-Team Freshman All-American
Another major accolade is heading to Greenville.
East Carolina outfielder Braden Burress was named to the 2025 NCBWA Freshman All-America First Team, the organization announced Monday. The honor places Burress among the top first-year players in the country and cements his status as one of the brightest young stars in college baseball.
A product of nearby Snow Hill, N.C., Burress didn’t just stand out locally he made waves on the national stage. He led all Division I freshmen in batting average (.389) and ranked 31st nationally in the category entering the College World Series. He also placed 55th in both on-base percentage (.488) and total hits (82), showcasing advanced plate discipline and consistent production well beyond his years.
Burress was a sparkplug in the Pirates’ lineup from day one, helping power ECU to an AAC Tournament title and a deep postseason push that ended in the regional final. In Clearwater, he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after hitting .450 (9-for-20) with six runs scored, a double, two home runs, and five RBI across four games — a performance that helped seal ECU’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Just before the tournament, Burress was also named to the All-AAC Second Team and the AAC All-Freshman Team, adding to a growing list of year-one honors.
Even better for Pirate fans, Burress has already confirmed his return for the 2026 season, giving East Carolina a cornerstone player to build around as it looks to reload for another postseason run.
He joins a stacked Freshman All-America First Team that includes standouts from national powers like LSU, Kentucky, Michigan, and TCU. Other First Team selections include LSU’s Derek Curiel, Kentucky’s Tyler Bell, and UNCW pitcher Cam Bagwell highlighting the elite company Burress now shares.
The Freshman All-America team is voted on by members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The organization will announce its National Freshman Player of the Year and National Freshman Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday, June 10.
NCBWA 2025 Freshman All-America First Team (Selected Pirates)
• OF Braden Burress, East Carolina
• C Jacob Lee, VCU
• 1B Jake Hanley, Indiana
• 2B Chris Rembert, Auburn
• SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky
• 3B Rylan Lujo, Dayton
• OF Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
• OF Derek Curiel, LSU
• DH Cole Johnson, Austin Peay
• UT Alex Hernandez, Georgia Tech
• SP Jack Ohman, Yale
• SP Tate Carey, Michigan
• SP Cam Bagwell, UNCW
• SP Aidan King, Florida
• RP Dylan Volantis, Texas
• RP Casan Evans, LSU
• RP Brady St. Pierre, Southeastern Louisiana