NEW ORLEANS — With five teams coming off NCAA Baseball Regional Appearances in 2022, Sun Belt student-athletes and programs garnered national preseason accolades from a number of publications in addition to the conference's previously announced five Preseason All-Americans. 
 
The Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year, junior starting pitcher Tanner Hall of Southern Miss, was Baseball America’s Crystal Ball Prediction for National Pitcher of the Year. Hall was a consensus All-American in 2022 and earned Preseason First Team All-America status from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game and Preseason Third Team All-America honors from Baseball America. The Zachary, La., native posted a 9-3 record with a 2.81 ERA, 146 strikeouts and just 14 walks over 109.0 innings pitched last season, en route to Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference accolades.
 
Hall was also listed among MLB.com’s Top 100 MLB Draft Prospects.
 
Southern Miss landed two student-athletes—junior outfielders Matthew Etzel and Tate Parker—on D1Baseball’s list of the Top 50 Impact JUCO Transfers. Etzel hit .433 with seven home runs, 20 stolen bases and 49 RBI during his sophomore campaign at Panola College in 2022. Parker hit .450 with 11 doubles, 19 home runs and 65 RBI as a sophomore at Pearl River Community College a year ago. 
 
Etzel was also named to D1Baseball’s Top 100 College Prospects and was selected as 1-of-8 MLB Draft Sleeping Giants by Perfect Game.
 
Texas State junior starting pitcher Levi Wells, an All-Sun Belt First Team pick in 2022, joined Hall on MLB.com’s list of Top 100 MLB Draft Prospects and Etzel on D1Baseball’s list of Top 100 College Prospects. He was dubbed a Preseason Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game heading into the 2023 campaign. The La Porte, Texas, product compiled an 8-3 record with a 3.07 ERA and 86 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .231 batting average over 91.0 innings pitched as a sophomore. 
 
Fellow Bobcat starting pitcher Zeke Wood was named 1-of-8 impact seniors by Perfect Game. The All-Sun Belt First Team selection from 2022 went 7-1 with a 3.78 ERA and 103 strikeouts as a junior. The Paris, Texas, native held opponents to a .190 batting average over 88.0 innings pitched. 
 
Behind the arms of Wells and Wood, Texas State was picked as 1-of-8 teams outside of the Top 25 with legitimate shots at Omaha by Perfect Game. The Bobcats earned the No. 28 spot in Perfect Game’s No. 26-40 rankings, where Georgia Southern landed at No. 37. Southern Miss earned the final spot in Perfect Game's Preseason College Top 25. 
 
Seven Sun Belt baseball programs were noted in at least one of the five major national preseason polls. 
 
Hall, Wells and Wood were each named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team, with Hall claiming Preseason Pitcher of the Year accolades. 
 
The Sun Belt boasted the No. 6 conference RPI in the nation in 2022—trailing only the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA. Four current Sun Belt programs were listed among the Top 30 in the final RPI in 2022—No. 20 Texas State, No. 22 Southern Miss, No. 25 Georgia Southern and No. 29 Coastal Carolina. 
 
No. 46 Old Dominion, No. 54 Louisiana, No. 73 South Alabama, No. 97 Georgia State and No. 100 Troy gave the new-look Sun Belt nine teams among the Top 100 at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign. 
 
Sun Belt baseball programs have earned 18 NCAA berths over the past 10 seasons.
 
NATIONAL PRESEASON HONORS
Baseball America Crystal Ball Predictions Pitcher of the Year
Tanner Hall, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Zachary, La.)
 
D1Baseball Top 50 Impact JUCO Transfers
No. 1 Matthew Etzel, Southern Miss (Jr., OF – League City, Texas)
No. 40 Tate Parker, Southern Miss (Jr., OF – Gulfport, Miss.) 
 
D1Baseball Top 100 College Prospects
No. 50 Levi Wells, Texas State (Jr., SP – La Porte, Texas) 
No. 74 Matthew Etzel, Southern Miss (Jr., OF – League City, Texas)

MLB.com’s Top 100 MLB Draft Prospects
No. 49 Levi Wells, Texas State (Jr., SP – La Porte, Texas) 
No. 89 Tanner Hall, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Zachary, La.)

Perfect Game MLB Draft Sleeping Giant
Matthew Etzel, Southern Miss (Jr., OF – League City, Texas)
 
Perfect Game Impact Senior
Zeke Wood, Texas State (Sr., SP – Paris, Texas)
 
Perfect Game Preseason College Top 25 & 26-40
No. 25 Southern Miss
No. 28 Texas State
No. 37 Georgia Southern