Former Ball State student-athletes Matt Helm and Caleb Stayton recently learned that they have been awarded a coveted National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) postgraduate scholarship.

Stayton, a four-year member of Sports Link and a Digital Sports Production major, was a two-time All-MAC honoree on the baseball team.

The first baseman ranked 10th nationally in RBIs (71) during his junior season and went on to lead the team in batting average (.331) this past spring. Originally from Goshen, Indiana, Stayton was a first team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2016 and 2017.

“Matt and Caleb represent excellent examples of true student-athletes on and off the field,” Ball State Director of Athletics Mark Sandy said. “Both are worthy recipients of these awards and I wish them continued success in their fields of study.”

The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

The one-time, non-renewable scholarships of $7,500 are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring). Each sports season there are 29 scholarships available for men and 29 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program.

Only four Mid-American Conference student-athletes were awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship this year, and three of those recipients were from Ball State. Men’s swimmer Tanner Barton learned he earned a scholarship earlier this summer.

Helm, a native of Bloomington, Indiana, was a four-year contributor on the Ball State men’s tennis team and helped the Cardinals capture the 2014 MAC Tournament championship. As a senior, Helm went 5-3 in singles and 8-5 in doubles competition.