NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team, individual awards and Preseason Poll on Wednesday, based on a vote of the league’s 14 head coaches.
Coastal Carolina junior catcher Caden Bodine and Louisiana sophomore starting pitcher Chase Morgan headlined the conference’s preseason honors as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year.
Bodine was an All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree in 2024, after hitting .328 with 79 hits, 20 doubles, nine home runs, 50 runs scored and 71 RBI. The Haddon Heights, N.J., native was dubbed the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2023 and was named to the NCAA Conway All-Regional Team in 2023 and the NCAA Clemson All-Regional Team in 2024.
Morgan was an All-Sun Belt First Team pick in 2024, accumulating a 5-3 record with a 3.18 ERA, 69 strikeouts and just 20 walks over 73.2 innings pitched. The Cypress, Texas, product was selected as the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2024.
Southern Miss paced all Sun Belt programs with five preseason honorees, while Coastal Carolina (2), James Madison (2) and Louisiana (2) also had multiple players selected.
The two-time defending Sun Belt tournament champion Golden Eagles—1-of-4 Sun Belt programs to advance to an NCAA Baseball Regional final a year ago—received 5-of-14 first-place votes to be picked to top the conference in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.
Troy earned the second slot in the preseason ledger with four first-place votes, ahead of a pair of 2024 NCAA Baseball Regional finalists in reigning Sun Belt regular-season champion Louisiana with three first-place votes and Coastal Carolina with two first-place votes.
Four teams that have each earned a postseason berth over the past four seasons—Georgia Southern (2022), James Madison (2024), Old Dominion (2021) and Texas State (2022)—followed the four Sun Belt programs that received first-place votes.
App State, South Alabama, Georgia State, Marshall, ULM and Arkansas State rounded out the preseason poll.
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Player of the Year
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Bryce Blevins, Marshall (Jr., SP – Louisa, Ky.)
Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Louisville, Miss.)
Max Kuhle, James Madison (Jr., RP – Virginia Beach, Va.)
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Jr., 1B – Madisonville, La.)
Blake Barthol, Coastal Carolina (Jr., 2B – Allentown, Pa.)
Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss (Sr., SS – Alesville, Miss.)
Lee Amedee, Louisiana (Jr., 3B – Gonzales, La.)
Josh Tate, Georgia Southern (Jr., OF – Peachtree City, Ga.)
Luke Waters, Old Dominion (Sr., OF – Laurel, Del.)
Davis Gillespie, Southern Miss (RS So., OF – Birmingham, Ala.)
Ryan Dooley, James Madison (Sr., DH – Reston, Va.)
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (Jr., UT – Brandon, Miss.)
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First-Place Votes)
1. Southern Miss (5) – 179
2. Troy (4) – 178
3. Louisiana (3) – 174
4. Coastal Carolina (2) – 161
5. Georgia Southern – 125
6. James Madison – 106
7. Old Dominion – 105
8. Texas State – 102
9. App State – 94
10. South Alabama – 93
11. Georgia State – 49
12. Marshall – 46
13. ULM – 34
14. Arkansas State – 24