ROCK HILL, S.C. – On the eve of the 2023 baseball season, the senior trio of Carlos Hernandez, Justin Fox and Joseph Cottone have earned Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference honors, while the Trojans have been picked to finish seventh in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second consecutive season, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Hernandez drew a starting nod in 45 games last season, including 34 behind the plate and 11 as the designated hitter. He collected Third-Team All-SAC honors following last season after posting a .327 batting average, with 12 doubles, six home runs and a triple, while finishing second on the team with 46 RBI.
The Maracay, Venezuela, native recorded a .518 slugging percentage and a .408 on-base percentage, while notching 13 multi-hit games, including five games with three hits and he had four hits in the opening game of a twin bill at Mars Hill. Hernandez had a 12-game hitting streak from mid-February to mid-March a year ago and reached base safely in an 18-game streak during the season.
Fox was one of only two Trojans to start all 46 games a year ago – all in centerfield. He finished last season with a .316 batting average and recorded eight doubles, a pair triples and had a home run against Carson-Newman in late April. The Concord, N.C., native drove in 28 runs, including a season-high three on two occasions and led the team by getting hit by pitch on 13 occasions.
Fox had 18 multi-hit games, including five games with at least three hits, while recording a seven-game hitting streak during the season. He notched eight multiple-RBI games, including two games with three RBI and led the team on the basepaths by going 13-for-15 in stolen bases.
Cottone, was 5-2 last season with a 4.21 ERA in 16 appearances on the mound, including four in relief. The left-hander tossed more than 72 innings and fanned a team-high 80 batters, while limiting opponents to .255 batting-average-against. The Bethpage, N.Y., native earned SAC Pitcher of the Week in February and went at least five full innings in nine games, including a season-high 7.0 innings against Staten Island in late February. He struck out 12 batters against Clarion and fanned a season-high 13 batters against Coker in early April.
In addition to the preseason all-conference teams, the league office also announced the preseason coaches' poll. Wingate, which won the 2021 National Championship, is the odds-on favorite to defend its regular-season SAC title, after receiving all 12 available first place votes from the conference's head coaches and tallied 144 total points.
The No. 2 spot through No. 4 slot were tightly grouped, as Lenoir-Rhyne, which finished in a tie for third a year ago and won the league tournament, was tabbed second in the coaches' poll with 125 total points – just ahead of Newberry - which captured one first place vote and earned the No. 3 spot with 123 points. Catawba, which has won the regular season title 12 times, was just behind in fourth place in the poll with 118 points, followed by Carson-Newman at No. 5 with 93 points and Lincoln Memorial at No. 6 with 89 points.
After narrowly missing last year's conference tournament and finishing tied for ninth alongside Coker, Anderson garnered 68 points to capture the seventh slot in the coaches' poll. Mars Hill (66 points) occupied the eighth spot, just in front of Tusculum, which collected 62 points. Coker placed 10th in the poll with 53 points. Rounding out the preseason poll were Limestone at No. 11 with 37 points, UVA Wise in 12th with 22 points and league-newcomer Emory & Henry rounded out the poll in 13th place with 14 points.
The South Atlantic Conference baseball season gets underway on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The 2023 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship is slated for opening rounds at campus sites around the league, April 28-30, with the championship series slated for May 7-8, at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn.
Anderson will play host to Bluefield State, Saturday, Feb. 4 in its 2023 season-opening doubleheader as part of a three-game weekend homestand to open the campaign. First-pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
Admission is free to Trojan baseball games, and please ignore the outdated "No Animals Allowed" signs on the fencing and gate at Memorial Stadium. AU Athletics promotes a family-friendly atmosphere and dogs of all shapes and sizes are welcome.
2023 SAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Wingate (12) 144
2. Lenoir-Rhyne 125
3. Newberry (1) 123
4. Catawba 118
5. Carson-Newman 93
6. Lincoln Memorial 89
7. Anderson 68
8. Mars Hill 66
9. Tusculum 62
10. Coker 53
11. Limestone 37
12. UVA Wise 22
13. Emory & Henry 14
2023 Preseason All-Conference First Team
OF – Wade Cuda, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Andrew Motsinger, Wingate
OF – Zane Keener, Tusculum
1B – Henry Gibson, Newberry
2B – Seaver King, Wingate
SS – Braylin Marine, Newberry
3B – Zach Weaver, Mars Hill
C – Carlos Hernandez, Anderson
DH – Brett Adams, Wingate
SP – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
SP – Joshua Lanham, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Andrew Patrick, Lenoir-Rhyne
RP – Sam Brodersen, Wingate
2023 Preseason All-Conference Second Team
OF – David Bell, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Jacob Lebron, Newberry
OF – Ricky Clark, Wingate
1B – Mitch Farris, Wingate
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Michael Dansky, Wingate
3B – Isaiah Williams-Rhem, Wingate
C – Harrison Travis, Carson-Newman
DH – Carson Boles, Lincoln Memorial
SP – Josh Dotson, Wingate
SP – Ethan Lebron, Newberry
SP – Patrick Queener, Lincoln Memorial
RP – Robbie Cowie, Catawba
2023 Preseason All-Conference Third Team
OF – DJ Dickson, UVA Wise
OF – Justin Fox, Anderson
OF – Wes Reynolds, Tusculum
1B – Ryan Kurth, Lincoln Memorial
2B – Jomar Lugo, Newberry
SS – Cameron Bowen, Lincoln Memorial
3B – Jonathan Velez, Newberry
C – Bryce Stober, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Tyler Chinpire, Newberry
SP – Joseph Cottone, Anderson
SP - Joe LaFiora, Newberry
RP – Corey Avant, Wingate
