2025 Baseball Roster

David Jerchower
© Michael Mann Jr
© Michael Mann Jr
Lauren Francis

27 Braxton Church

  • Position Catcher
  • Height 5-9
  • Weight 190
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown North Wilkesboro, N.C.
  • High School West Wilkes

Biography

2025: Played in 52 of 54 games, including 48 starts (34 at catcher, 6 at third base, 2 in right field, 6 at designated hitter)…Slashed .264/.408/.410/.818 with a career-high 15 doubles, three home runs and 30 RBIs…Batted .283 in Sun Belt games…Also registered six stolen bases and a team-high seven sacrifice flies…Threw out 20 opposing base stealers which ranked second in the Sun Belt…Registered a 19-game on-base streak from Feb. 28 through March 29…Caught Caleb Cross's complete game shutout against Marshall on April 11...Homered in back-to-back games against JMU and  ETSU on April 19 and April 22…Hit bases-clearing double in final career at-bat at Smith Stadium to help App State clinch a spot in the Sun Belt tournament on May 17.

2024: Played in 46 games, making 44 starts (33 catcher, 11 designated hitter)...Slashed .241/.404/.418 with seven doubles and seven home runs, driving in 35 runs on the season...15 of his 41 hits went for extra-bases...tallied nine multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games on the season as well as a nine-game hitting streak...Reached base in 29 consecutive games over the final two months of the season...Homered in back-to-back at-bats vs Gardner-Webb Feb. 18 and High Point Feb. 20...Lined go-ahead single in bottom of the eighth inning for last-at-bat win over No.13 Coastal Carolina in game one of a doubleheader on March 23...Delivered walk-off two-run single to lift App State to an 8-7 win over UNC Asheville on April 9...Committed just three errors in 277 chances for a .990 fielding percentage...Threw out seven base stealers on the year.

2023: Played in 20 games, making 10 starts at catcher and designated hitter...slashed .250/.411/.350 with a double, a home run and nine RBI...Blasted solo homer as pinch-hitter against Troy, May 20...Hit by eight pitches in 56 plate appearances, also drew five walks...Tallied two-hit game against West Virginia, March 15. Did not commit an error in 61 chances behind the plate.

2022: Played in 21 games, starting five, as a true freshman. After starting third career game against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on April 19, missed the next three weeks with an injury. Hit his first career home run against High Point on April 12, finishing the game with two hits and four runs scored. Was hit by six pitches in first 12 games played, including being hit twice against High Point, April 12, and Wake Forest, April 19. In the opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament, delivered a two-run single to help the Mountaineers defeat Little Rock, 10-3.

High School: The West Wilkes catcher averaged .475 during the 2021 campaign, tallying nine doubles, one triple, and three home runs for the Blackhawks … Named to the HighSchoolOT’s All-State Third Team, which features the best high school players from across all state associations.

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 27

    2022Freshman

    Catcher
    5'9" 172 lbs
    27
  • 27

    2023Sophomore

    Catcher
    5'9" 180 lbs
    27
  • 27

    2024Junior

    Catcher
    5'9" 180 lbs
    27
  • 27

    2025Senior

    Catcher
    5'9" 190 lbs
    27