Former UNCW baseball player to appear on American Idol season premiere

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A former UNCW baseball player is stepping onto the national stage this week.

Jayson Arendt of Fuquay-Varina will appear on the season premiere of American Idol. His audition airs Monday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. on WWAY.

Arendt says the lessons he learned at UNCW continue to shape his approach to music. In a 2024 interview with WWAY, Arendt said baseball and music share the same foundation.

“Baseball and music have the exact same parallel that is hard work,” Arendt said at the time. “You have to be able to sit down and put in the time and not get frustrated, not work yourself up, and keep pushing every day. That’s something that happens in baseball — ups and downs. Some songs are good, some songs suck — but you need to be able to wake up with a clear mind and do it again.”

Arendt hasn’t completely given up on baseball. In November, he was signed to another year as the Texas Tailgaters’ Entertainment Player. The Tailgaters are one of six teams that make up the Banana Ball league, which was made famous by its inaugural team, The Savannah Bananas.

The season premiere of American Idol airs tonight on WWAY.