FRISCO, Texas – Fresh off their first conference championship since 1998, the Nicholls Colonels have been selected to repeat as Southland Baseball Champions, as announced by the conference on Thursday afternoon.
Nicholls led the preseason poll with 126 points and 14 first place votes. The Colonels have six preseason all-conference selections with a conference-high five on the first team.
Lamar had one first place votes and 106 points with a conference-high eight preseason selections, including four first teamers. New Orleans was third with three first place votes and 92 points with four preseason all-conference selections.
UIW, fresh off a turnaround season that saw them finish second in the regular season, checks in at fourth with 81 points, while McNeese was fifth with 67 points.
Rounding out the preseason poll is Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (55 points), Southeastern (53 points), Northwestern State (42 points), and HCU (26 points).
The preseason poll is voted on by head coaches and sports information directors in the conference, with coaches selecting the preseason all-conference team.
The 2024 baseball season begins two weeks from today on Friday, February 16, with all nine conference teams in action. HCU, UIW, Southeastern, Nicholls, Northwestern State, and New Orleans will all play home contests.
The 2024 Southland Conference Baseball Championship tournament will be held on May 22-25 at Southeastern's Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in Hammond, with the tournament champion claiming the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
All nine teams will play a 24-game round robin conference schedule against the other eight teams, with the top seven teams in the conference qualifying for the double-elimination conference tournament.
2024 Southland Conference Baseball Preseason Poll
| Pl |
School |
1st |
Pts |
| 1 |
Nicholls |
14 |
126 |
| 2 |
Lamar |
1 |
106 |
| 3 |
New Orleans |
3 |
92 |
| 4 |
UIW |
|
81 |
| 5 |
McNeese |
|
67 |
| 6 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
|
55 |
| 7 |
Southeastern |
|
53 |
| 8 |
Northwestern State |
|
42 |
| 9 |
HCU |
|
26 |
2024 Southland Conference Baseball Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| 1B |
Edgar Alvarez * |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Orlando, Fla. |
| 2B |
MaCrae Kendrick |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Humble, Texas |
| 3B |
Ethan Ruiz |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Round Rock, Texas |
| SS |
Parker Coddou * |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Thibodaux, La. |
| C |
Miguel Useche |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Caracas, Venazuela |
| DH |
Rey Mendoza * |
UIW |
Gr. |
Eagle Pass, Texas |
| OF |
Mitchell Sanford * |
New Orleans |
R-Jr. |
Berwick, La. |
| OF |
Samuel Benjamin * |
HCU |
Sr. |
Katy, Texas |
| OF |
Issac Williams |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Alexandria, La. |
| SP |
Jacob Mayers * |
Nicholls |
So. |
Gonzales, La. |
| SP |
Brooks Caple * |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Gunter, Texas |
| SP |
Hunter Hesseltine * |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Topeka, Kan. |
| RP |
Gavin Galy * |
Nicholls |
R-Jr. |
Orlando, Fla. |
| UT |
Kanin Dodge |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Carencro, La. |
Second Team
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| 1B |
Cameron Crotte |
UIW |
Sr. |
El Paso, Texas |
| 2B |
Austin Roccaforte |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Tomball, Texas |
| 3B |
Dylan Mach |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Aledo, Texas |
| SS |
Jake Haze * |
Southeastern |
Gr. |
Highlands Ranch, Colo. |
| C |
Bo Willis |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Magnolia, Texas |
| DH |
River Orsak |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Mont Belvieu, Texas |
| OF |
Garrett Felix |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Scott, La. |
| OF |
Cooper Hext |
McNeese |
Sr. |
DeQuincy, La. |
| OF |
Christian Smith-Johnson |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
So. |
North Richland Hills, Texas |
| SP |
Chase Prestwich |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Frederick, Colo. |
| SP |
Isaiah Zavala |
UIW |
Gr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| SP |
Jacob Ellis |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Edmond, Okla. |
| RP |
Jackson Cleveland |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Deer Park, Texas |
| UT |
Grant Randall |
UIW |
Sr. |
Norman, Okla. |
*-2023 Southland All-Conference Selection