MORRISTOWN, TN – Through the first seven games of the 2025 baseball season, Tyler Myatt was 2-12 at the plate.
A redshirt freshman from Tazewell, Myatt was struggling in his first collegiate action, following a redshirt season in 2024, as Walters State traveled to Florida to take on No. 12 Chipola.
However, something changed that weekend for Myatt. And, from then on out, Myatt put together the best offensive season in Walters State history.
On Monday, that historic season was honored with the NJCAA's highest honor for a position player as Myatt was named the NJCAA DI Baseball Player of the Year.
Myatt is the second Senator to win the award, with Alberto Osuna winning the award in 2021.
"It feels great to win it and see the hard work pay off," Myatt said. "It's a blessing to get it and finish the season off with it. I hope next year's team gets to experience Grand Junction like we did this year and win it all."
For the season, Myatt finished with a .484 batting average, 31 home runs and 110 RBIs. Myatt broke the school record for home runs and RBIs and tied the record for hits with 105. Myatt won the Triple Crown in NJCAA DI Baseball, leading the country in batting average, home runs and RBIs.
Myatt had 29 multi-hit games, 29 multi-RBI games and six multi-home run games. Myatt reached base in 62 of 66 games he played in.
Myatt helped lead Walters State to a 59-8-1 record, a Region 7 Championship, an Appalachian District Championship and a Runner-Up finish at the JUCO World Series. He was named the TCCAA Player of the Year, Perfect Game's JUCO Player of the Year, ABCA/Rawlings' NJCAA DI National Player of the Year, an NJCAA First Team All-American and a member of the JUCO World Series All-Tournament Team.
"What an unbelievable season Tyler Myatt had for us here at Walters State," Walters State head coach Dave Shelton said. "I never thought I would see a player hit .500 over the course of an entire regular season in college. And for Tyler to do that with the added power numbers in breaking our school record for both home runs and RBIs, is just mind-boggling. We are extremely excited and proud of Tyler for receiving the ultimate individual player honor of NJCAA National Player of the Year. With all the great players across the country in junior college, to receive this honor is truly a special achievement."
However, while the stats for Myatt during the 2025 season were unreal, it was the way that he went about things that stood out to his teammates.
"You could say so many things about Tyler's season statistically and the records he broke," Walters State sophomore Walker Morgan said. "But what I thought was the most impressive is that he was an even better teammate. He never once showed up and acted like he was better than the guy next to him. There couldn't have been a better human being or teammate to have the season he had."
Following the Chipola game that got Myatt ramped up, he homered for the first time of the season later in the day against Southern Union State. Myatt reached base in the next 13 games, including a two home run game against Motlow State, a 4-5 game with three RBIs against Chattanooga State and a two home run and five RBI game in the finale against the Tigers.
The on-base streak was broken in the opener the next weekend against Southwest Tennessee, but Myatt followed it up with home runs in five straight games. The peak of the streak came against Alpena Community College on March 10 when he smacked two home runs.
The next weekend, Myatt went 6-10 against Roane State with a home run and three RBIs and he followed it up with another home run on March 18 against USC Union. Myatt's consistency continued throughout March, as Myatt had at least one hit in 18 of the next 19 games.
During that run, Myatt hit a grand slam against Chattanooga State, smacked two home runs against Cleveland State and went a combined 9-12 with two home runs and 10 RBIs against Jackson State. Myatt also went 6-8 with six RBIs against Southwest Virginia and homered in all three games against Volunteer State. Myatt had 12 RBIs in the series, as well.
Myatt closed the regular season strong, hitting two home runs in a game against Cleveland State, and opened up postseason play with a home run in the opening game of the TCCAA/Region 7 Tournament against Jackson State. In the Appalachian District Series against No. 16 Georgia Highlands, Myatt went 3-4 with a home run in the district-clinching game. The home run tied the program's home run record.
In the JUCO World Series, Myatt had two hits and five walks through the first three games. Taking on McLennan, Myatt cut into an early deficit with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first. That home run broke the program's homer record, as well as Alberto Osuna's RBI record. Myatt followed that up with a home run the next day against McLennan, in a game that Walters State clinched a spot in the National Championship game. Myatt's on-base streak was 35 games when the season came to an end in the Championship game.
Following the season, Myatt committed to continue his baseball and academic careers at the University of Tennessee. However, despite just the lone season playing for the Senators, Myatt will be remembered and talked about for years to come.