BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference has announced its 2026 Commissioners Top Ten Award recipients, with Auburn University at Montgomery represented by softball's senior Chloe Baynes and men's tennis' senior Giuseppe Bonaiuti.
 
The GSC Top Ten Award recognizes the top female and top male student-athletes for their athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements during the 2025-26 academic year. One student-athlete from each group of honorees will be selected to receive the GSC Commissioner's Trophy, the conference's most prestigious individual honor, following review by an advisory committee composed of athletics directors, senior woman administrators, athletic communications directors, faculty athletic representatives, and university presidents from randomly selected GSC institutions.
 
Chloe Baynes
Baynes adds another major accolade to her historic 2026 season after being named GSC Player of the Year and earning her second GSC Top Ten honor. One of just three Warhawks to start all 50 games, she led the Gulf South Conference with a .449 batting average (30th nationally), 75 hits (tied for 19th nationally), and 47 stolen bases (fifth nationally), while also ranking among league leaders in runs scored and on-base percentage. She was a consistent offensive and defensive force, pairing her production at the plate with elite work in the field, where she earned GSC Golden Glove Team honors after recording a .970 fielding percentage with just three errors in 99 chances, highlighted by a home run robbery against Valdosta State.

"When you think about what the GSC Top 10 embodies and the types of student athletes that it recognizes, Chloe Baynes is that," said Head Coach Scottie Wilkes Laney. "Athletically, she has numbers that are consistently at the top. As a student, she has worked hard to have a GPA that puts her in a situation to succeed after college and also get her this type of recognition. I'm so proud of Chloe and happy for receiving this recognition."

Giuseppe Bonaiuti
Bonaiuti earned Second Team All-GSC honors while continuing to receive consistent national recognition in singles play throughout the season, adding to a decorated year both on and off the court. In addition to his CSC Academic All-District distinction, he was named AUM Male Student-Athlete of the Year and AUM Male Athlete of the Year, recognizing his impact as one of the program's top competitors and a standout representative of Auburn University at Montgomery athletics.

"I am very excited for Giuseppe to be recognized with the GSC Top 10 Award," said Head Coach Michael O'Brien. "There are so many tremendous student athletes in this conference and he certainly exemplifies the characteristics of a great one. So happy for him to receive this accolade because it shows the hard work and dedication he put in during his career here at AUM."



The Top Ten awardees and GSC Commissioner's Trophy winners will be recognized and announced on Thursday, May 29 in Pensacola, Florida.

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