WILMINGTON, N.C. – The postseason is in full swing, with the UNC Wilmington men’s baseball team claiming a W to take home its eighth Coastal Athletic Association Championship title on Sunday after a 6-5 win over top-seeded College of Charleston at Brooks Field.

Jayson Arendt, one of the 11 seniors on the team, plans to soon take his talents from the stadium to the stage as a full-time music artist. 

All season, the tight-knit Seahawks team has been swinging along to Arendt’s music, including a new single released on Friday titled “Like a Small Town.” 

“It’s actually the first song I ever wrote. I wrote that last fall after practice one day, for whatever reason, it just kind of hit me on the head and went ahead and wrote it,” he said. 

Baseball is second nature to Arendt, who has played ball since he was about 7 in his hometown of Fuquay-Varina. 

But the journey from left fielder to lead singer happened fast, with Arendt picking up a guitar for the first time during the pandemic. 

“It’s been a very fun ride so far,” he said. “It’s really important for me to just kind of keep my feet in the present, and not get too far ahead of myself and really enjoy the ride.”

The North Carolina native says he’s the first in his family to create music, surprising his parents and brother with his whirlwind jump into his career. 

“The support from my parents and friends and family is so huge, and it pushes me to be even better,” he said. “Every time my mom hears one of my songs, she cries a little bit, which is awesome. She’ll hate me for saying that. But, no, it just means a lot to me that they’re very supportive.”

UNCW’s win on Sunday punched their ticket to play in the NCAA tournament next week. The Seahawks will find out Monday who they’ll face and where.

Arendt says he’s thrilled to finish his collegiate career with his UNCW team, then pursue a new chapter.

“I’ve put my heart and soul into [baseball] for over 10 years of my life,” he said. “And now I’m going to kind of see it come to an end and, and it’s scary, but I’ve really found a lot of passion and love for music as well. So, to turn the page and kind of go on to the next chapter is still exciting, too.”