Jayson Arendt ’24

From two-time Coastal Athletic Association baseball champion to country music rising star, Jayson Arendt ’24 took a leap of faith to form a band and hit the road in 2023, while he was still enrolled at UNCW.

Doing so wasn’t easy. During that time, the Holly Springs, NC, native was a member of the Diamond Hawks baseball team, which achieved back-to-back Coastal Athletic Conference championships and two consecutive appearances in the NCAA regionals.

“Balancing all the obligations of being a student-athlete is one of the toughest things to do as a young adult, especially with extracurricular hobbies and demands pulling in every direction,” said Arendt, who earned his bachelor’s degree in business in 2024. “Learning how to prioritize my time was the most important reason that I was able to stay afloat and create an awesome experience as a Seahawk.”

Before transferring to UNCW, Arendt spent his first two years of college playing baseball at Elon University and Pitt Community College. It wasn’t until his brother, Bryan Arendt, started college at UNCW that Jayson realized their goal of playing college baseball together could become a reality. Jayson soon transferred and found himself in the dugout beside his brother, the biggest influence in his baseball career.

“The time I spent at UNCW as a student-athlete was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Arendt. “We had an awesome group of guys in the locker room, coaching staff and support staff that made the experience one I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Arendt and country music have been in sync since the beginning. Listening to artists like Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson and newer artists like Riley Green and Parker McCollum, Arendt fell in love with the genre. As country music has evolved, it has helped shape the artist he’s grown to be. During his summer 2024 tour, Arendt was able to open for one of his childhood idols, Joe Nichols.

“I look to be myself each day,” Arendt said. “As I continue to grow as a person, my music will represent me, what I believe in and what I value, with the hopes that other people can connect with my music in the same way.”