ROME, Ga.  The USA South Athletic Conference announced its 2025 Student-Athletes of the Year on Wednesday, naming Methodist's Tristen Melvin the 2025 Don Scalf Award winner.

Melvin, a member of the Methodist baseball team, follows former teammate Hunter Hollman, who received the award in 2024. Melvin is now the third Methodist baseball player to be honored as the conference's male student–athlete of the year.
 
"Tristen has earned just about every award possible this year in college baseball," Methodist's head baseball coach Tom Austin said. "He was our team MVP, First Team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, Conference Tournament MVP, All-American, Academic All-District, and Academic All-American. He was a great student in a tough major, Biology, and is the epitome of the student-athlete.
 
"Tristen is also a very mature young man who led by example. He worked hard to be better, and it paid off, while also making those around him improve. Winning the Don Scalf Award is the icing on the cake as Mr. Scalf was an outstanding individual who worked hard and gave of himself to his institution and the Conference. Tristen comes from the same mold and is a super selection for this honor." 
 
In his second year as a Monarch, Melvin had a breakout season as he batted .417 while leading the conference in hits (75), runs batted in (63) and home runs (10). The senior helped lead the Monarchs to a USA South regular season title for the first time since 2018 and the program's first USA South Tournament championship since 2013. Off the field, he excelled in the classroom, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.95 while majoring in Healthcare Biology.
 
"I'm incredibly honored to receive the Don Scalf Award," Melvin said. "This recognition reflects the support of my teammates, coaches, professors, and family who have shaped me both on and off the field. The award embodies everything I've strived for throughout my college journey, and it's a reminder that hard work and strong character truly matter."
 
Melvin becomes the sixth student–athlete from a men's team at Methodist to receive the Don Scalf honor. He joins Hunter Hollman (2024), Alex Kachler (2020), Larkin Gross (2018), Max Reber (2014) and Jered Gusso (2001). Methodist's Lindsey Pritchard (2019) and Christina Gipson (2005) are also previous recipients of the Scalf honor, which was presented to both a member of a men's team and a member of a women's team prior to 2020.
 
"We are extremely excited and honored that Tristen has been selected for the Don Scalf Award," Methodist's Director of Athletics Dave Eavenson said. "Tristen had an amazing season and embodies all the great characteristics of an NCAA Division III student-athlete. He is a leader on our team and competes with class and at a high level on the field, in the classroom, and is very engaged in our campus community. We are very proud of Tristen and all that he has accomplished."
 
During his time at Methodist, Melvin has served as a mentor for the MCAT exam, worked with the Animal Protection Society in Fayetteville, and was a member of the Methodist Student–Athlete Advisory Committee during the 2023–2024 academic year. He also appeared on the Dean's List once and the President's List three times.