Rock Hill, S.C.----The defending SAC Tournament champion Wingate University Bulldogs have been picked to finish second in the preseason South Atlantic Conference coach's poll, which was released Tuesday morning. In addition, four Bulldogs have earned preseason All-SAC honors.
Cam Harris is a first team selection, with
Kelan Hoover,
Breon Ishmael and
Carson Morton picking up second team accolades.
Defending regular season champion Catawba is the preseason favorite, collecting 10 of the 13 first-place votes. Wingate is second, followed by Lincoln Memorial, Coker, Lenoir-Rhyne and Newberry. Carson-Newman is seventh, with Tusculum, Anderson, Limestone, Mars Hill, UVA Wise and Emory & Henry rounding out the poll.
Harris earned first team All-SAC honors, collecting first team All-Region accolades from the ABCA, NCBWA and D2CCA. He was an NCBWA honorable mention All-American, while also earning CSC third team Academic All-America recognition. The junior led the team with a .395 average last season, piling up 90 hits including 15 doubles, two triples and five homers, driving in 35 runs while scoring a team-best 68 runs. He compiled a .465 on-base percentage, while adding eight stolen bases on the year. Harris finished second in the SAC in hits and fourth in runs and average, while ranking ninth in doubles and total bases.
Hoover was a second team All-SAC honoree in his first season with the Bulldogs in 2024. He led the team with seven wins, going 7-2 with a 4.56 ERA while piling up a team-high 79 innings. Hoover had 56 strikeouts on the season, going at least five innings in 11 of his 15 starts. He went seven innings against Mars Hill, allowing just one run, followed by going 7 2/3 innings at UVA Wise, giving up just two runs. Hoover went five innings against Mount Olive in the NCAA Regionals, giving up just one run.
Ishmael was a third team All-SAC selection in his first season with the Bulldogs. He posted a .346 batting average in 56 games, collecting 66 hits including a team-best 17 doubles to go along with nine homers. Ishmael drove in 38 runs and scored 40 times, compiling a .576 slugging percentage. He also stole 14 bases in 15 attempts, ranking second on the team with his .452 on-base percentage.
Morton picks up league honors for the first time in his career. He made 15 appearances in 2024, including 11 starts while going 5-3 with a 4.10 ERA. Morton struck out 53 in 59 innings of work, while also notching a save. He held opponents to a .233 average on the year. Morton threw seven strong innings against LMU in the SAC title game, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven. He went six innings against #2 North Greenville in the NCAA regionals, giving up just three runs on three hits, striking out six.
Wingate opens up the season Friday, Jan. 31, traveling to Barry for a 6 p.m. start. The 'Dogs then play at Palm Beach Atlantic and Nova Southeastern the rest of the weekend, while opening up the home slate Saturday, Feb. 8, hosting a doubleheader against Millersville. The Bulldogs open SAC play Friday, Feb. 14 at home against UVA Wise.
2024-25 SAC Baseball Poll
| Rank |
School (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Catawba (10) |
132 |
| 2. |
Wingate |
122 |
| 3. |
Lincoln Memorial |
111 |
| 4. |
Coker (1) |
108 |
| 5. |
Lenoir-Rhyne (1) |
102 |
| 6. |
Newberry (1) |
95 |
| 7. |
Carson-Newman |
87 |
| 8. |
Tusculum |
84 |
| 9. |
Anderson |
53 |
| 10. |
Limestone |
44 |
| 11. |
Mars Hill |
32 |
| 12. |
UVA Wise |
28 |
| 13. |
Emory & Henry |
16 |
2024-25 SAC Baseball All-SAC
All-SAC First Team
OF – Dylan Driver, Catawba
OF – Sam Hunter, Catawba
OF – Chris Hall, Lincoln Memorial
1B – Gray Wells, Anderson
2B – Cam Harris, Wingate
SS – Ben Scartz, Tusculum
3B – Kasten Harvey, Lincoln Memorial
C – Cole Stanford, Lenoir-Rhyne
DH – Sal Carricato, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Payne Stolsworth, Catawba
SP – Austin Fine, Catawba
SP – Christian Pencek, Lincoln Memorial
RP – Hayden Simmerson, Catawba
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Luke Compton, Newberry
OF – Owen Blackledge, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Kade Faircloth, Newberry
1B – Logan Floyd, Carson-Newman
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Nick Badgett, UVA Wise
3B – Jared Foley, Emory & Henry
C – Jaylen Mack, Coker
DH – Breon Ishmael, Wingate
SP – Kelan Hoover, Wingate
SP – Aaron Diaz, Coker
SP – Carson Morton, Wingate
RP – Tyler Satterley, Coker
Players to Watch
Elec Yount, Jr., INF, Mars Hill
Carter Potts, So., INF, Mars Hill
Sion Barnette, Sr., 3B, Limestone
Peter Adams, Sr., SS, Limestone
